


Rabbit and the Eagle

by firerwolf



Series: Spartan Love [1]
Category: Halo (Video Games) & Related Fandoms
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-17
Updated: 2016-05-29
Packaged: 2018-06-02 21:44:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 56
Words: 72,723
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6583678
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/firerwolf/pseuds/firerwolf
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Series of stories between Master Chief Petty Officer John-117 and Kelly-087.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

"Why not?" Her grip around his neck tightened as her mouth went back to his throat, running lightly over the skin.

He pulled at her arms but they both knew that he wasn't putting up much of a fight. "Because I'm squad leader. This wouldn't be setting a good example." He couldn't stop the sound that slipped out in response to her actions.

"I don't care about that. No one needs to know any way." She pulled herself closer to him and rubbed her body against him. "You can't tell me you don't want it."

He didn't answer. If he told her he didn't want it, which was what he needed to say, it would be a lie. They both wanted it. His hands stopped trying to push her away. It was a useless fight. Instead they went to the wall, looking for anywhere he could find something to hold onto. He felt like his legs would give out under him as she moved lower down his neck to his collar. He didn't understand how she had this kind of power over him. He could beat her in any test of physical strength. He could even out-do her in some weapons and in hand-to-hand combat when her speed didn't give her the upper hand. But here she was, with complete power over him. He was almost sure that if she took a gun to his head and shot him he would never even be aware of the threat.

His hands moved down her sides till they found the hem of her shirt. His fingers snaked up under the fabric, ghosting over her skin.

"Oh, looks like you do want it." She was teasing him, and there was nothing he dared do about it. If he teased back she might stop, which was the last thing he really wanted her to do.

"Yes, I want it. I want you, Kelly." He couldn't deny it to her. He couldn't bring himself to lie to her. She rewarded him for admitting it. Her mouth found his, and the two clung to each other as their tongues fought for dominance.

They hadn't even heard him enter the room. They were both caught up fully in what they were doing, in the feeling of being together. He stood watching them for a few seconds. Hands groped, bodies grinded, and they fought for power as they kissed.

"What are you two doing?" The pair froze in pure horror. "John?"

"Sam, it's not what it looks like?" John removed his hands which had found their way completely under Kelly's shirt. Kelly didn't dare look behind them, her face buried in her partner's neck.

Sam frowned at them. "Well, it looks like you two are getting all touchy-feely in the showers. I don't really want to hear it." There was a look that John had never seen in his best friend's eyes. "Just stop it, and don't do it again." He turned and stormed out of the room.

Kelly and John remained where they were for a few moments, in shock. Finally Kelly removed her arms from John's neck. She took a step away from him, staring at the floor. "I'm sorry, John." She turned and started to walk away.

"Kelly—"

The female soldier stopped and looked back at him. John hesitated, and then looked away. He had chickened out; he wasn't able to say it.

#

John stood still as the technicians fitted him with his new Mark VI armor. His mind wandered to the events of First Strike—to Dr. Halsey spiriting Kelly away without telling them anything. He didn't know if Kelly was alive or dead, or if he'd ever see her again.

He suddenly regretted his cowardice so many years ago. He should have had the guts to tell her. He made a promise to himself that if he ever saw Kelly again, he wouldn't be a coward.

He promised to tell her that he loved her.


	2. Console

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> John seeks comfort after Sam's death.

John sat in the locker room, staring down at the reflective face plate of his new helmet. He couldn't believe he'd left Sam on the Covenant ship. He should have stayed, should have done something—but he knew he couldn't have. Sam's suit had been broken; he wouldn't have survived the vacuum of space.

"John?" The Master Chief looked up from his helmet, seeing Kelly a few feet away. He didn't speak, just watched her as she moved toward him. He couldn't see her features under the armor, but her voice and movements gave her away. Each step was precise, as though she would move too fast if she weren't careful. "John, it wasn't your fault."

John reached out, grabbing her waist and pulling her closer, resting his forehead against her stomach. "I should have done something."

"You did everything that you could." Kelly's hands cupped his cheeks, lifting his face away from her so that she could kneel without hitting his head against her armor's chest plate. She reached up, removing her helmet and setting it on the bench next to John. She leaned toward him, letting her forehead rest against his. Her hand settled on his shoulders.

John closed his eyes, enjoying the feel of her so close. He felt like they hadn't been this close in forever, and just her presence seemed to ease his pain and guilt. His hand remained on her waist, gauntleted hand running over the black under-layer of her armor. He cursed the suits at that moment. He wanted to feel more of her, feel better as only she could make him.

"You were stronger than me, on that ship. If you hadn't pulled me with you, I would have stayed." Kelly's words were soft and quiet. "If it weren't for you I would have gladly died back there, like a selfish fool."

"I wanted to stay, but we couldn't," John defended. It wasn't clear if he was defending the choice to Kelly or to himself. His hand gripped at her waist, his other hand moving to grip her forearm. "I would never leave you behind."

A smile spread over Kelly's face. "I know that." She lifted her head from his. John opened his eyes and her blue met his brown. They stared at each other for a few moments.

Kelly moved forward, tilting her head a bit to the side. Their lips met and everything melted away. The only thing that John was aware of was Kelly's mouth on his, and her body, which he pulled closer to him. All of the recent events on the Covenant ship vanished from his mind. The kiss deepened as they fought to taste more of each other.

They broke away from each other, staring at each other. Kelly leaned up a bit, placing a kiss on John's forehead before she stood up. She didn't say another word before she picked up her helmet and left the locker room.

John was left sitting in silence. He had lost his best friend that day, but he'd managed to save the woman he loved. His tongue ran over his lips, still able to taste a bit of her. He savored it while he could, knowing it would be a long time before he enjoyed that taste again.

John flipped over his helmet and slipped it on. He wasn't sure how she had done it, but he felt better. He stood, his purpose renewed. Sam may be dead, but he would do all that he could to stop the Covenant, to protect the other Spartans, to protect Kelly.


	3. Blue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Why Blue?

John moved around the base, in search of his female friend. His hand absently scratched as the fuzz that was all that was left of his hair. He hadn't seen Kelly since the DIs had been forced to hold her down so that her hair could be cut off. John had been impressed. He'd never known that a girl could fight like that. As their training progressed John was more and more sure that she wouldn't drag him down like he'd originally thought.

John finally found Kelly behind the armory, her knees tucked up to her chest and her back to the wall. John moved over to her and crouched down. "What's wrong with you?" His hand reached out and ran over her hair. It was just as fuzzy as his but it felt softer. "Your hair is actually brown."

Kelly's hand slapped his way. "Just leave me alone." She glared up at him before curling back up. It was odd to John to see her acting so weak after she'd been so strong earlier.

He wasn't really sure what to do, though. She was upset, but John was awful at making unhappy people happy. Still, he couldn't just leave her there. She was his friend after all. John sat down beside her and pulled his knees up to his chest. They were silent for a minute and then John forced himself to say something. "It was pretty cool the way you disarmed the barber."

Kelly didn't look over at him but still replied. "What does it matter? They still took my hair. I'm never going to get it back." Her words were muffled a bit but John understood them.

"Wait, this is all over hair? You do realize that it will grow back. I mean, it won't be just fuzz forever. I 'm sure when we're out of training they'll let you grow it out a bit." John had to admit that without longer hair the girls looked weird. Like they were all just a ton of boys. If it weren't for the slimmer look to Kelly's features he wouldn't have been able to tell her gender.

"I don't mean just hair. I mean my blue hair. I want my blue hair back. They aren't going to let my dye my hair again. I want my blue back." Kelly looked up and John could see that she was crying a bit. He fought the urge to just leave. He didn't like being around crying girls.

"Why does it matter what color your hair is? I mean, it's just hair." John didn't know what to do. He wasn't big on hugging, and patting her on the head didn't seem right.

"You just don't get it. I had chosen blue for a reason. I wanted him to be happy when he got home." Kelly put her forehead against her knees and wrapped her arms around her legs, hugging them tight.

John raised an eyebrow, confused. "Wanted who to be happy? What do you mean 'when he got home'?" John couldn't even guess what she was talking about. No one had left, and he didn't see how blue hair would make anyone happy.

"My dad," Kelly answered. John frowned, furrowing his brow as he listened. "My dad has a job that makes him go away for long times. He was finally coming home after being away for months. My mom we should try out best to make him happy at home. He always liked the color blue. His pajamas were blue, his suit was blue, his car was a dark blue. I thought that if I had blue hair it would make him happy and he'd stay this time." Kelly began to cry again but she leaned toward John and rested against his shoulder. "I want my parents back."

John didn't know what to do. He'd never had a girl lean on him when she was crying. He didn't know what to tell her either. They all knew they were never going to see their parents again. He just let her cry against him until she stopped. By the time she had Kelly had moved to put her head in his lap and they sat in the silence. "You know I've been reading."

Kelly turned on John's lap so that she could look up at her friend. "What've you been reading about?" Her eyes were still red and there was still a few tears on her cheeks.

"About military stuff. Did you know that they sometimes name teams after colors?" Kelly shook her head and John continued. "I was thinking. If we get to choose colors we should chose the color blue. They are usually the main team after all. As long as you and I agree Sam can't out vote us."

"What if they don't let us choose?" Kelly asked.

"Well then Blue team is usually the best team. So we'll just have to be the best of all the teams, then we'll get to be blue." John stared down at her as she thought about it.

Kelly nodded. "We can diffidently beat up all the other teams." Kelly sat up and for the first time since Kelly's hair had been shaved she smiled at him. Kelly hugged him and John had no idea what to do. His six-year-old mind told him that girls were gross and that he should push her away, but he didn't. "You're a great friend, John." His arms wrapped around her and hugged her back.

"Your best friend?" John was pretty sure that the other kids back home would mock him for this. They would tease him for hugging a girl, but they didn't matter anymore. He'd never see them or anyone he ever knew again.

"The best I've ever had." Kelly hugged him a bit tighter. He always liked being the best.


	4. Cute

John jumped forward, meeting Kelly half way. The two of them collided and the fight started. Each time he tried to get a hold of her she slipped out of his grip. The next thing he knew he was pinned to the ground, Kelly's hands holding his shoulder's down. "Pinned you." She grinned happily as she gloated over her victory.

John pushed her off of him. "Fine, fine, you won." Kelly sat down beside him, still grinning. John smirked, determined to remove that smile from her face. He launched himself at her but she reacted quicker than he had expected. She countered his attack and he found himself face down on the ground, his arm pinned behind his back. "Pinned you again." John could feel her mouth against his ear as she gloated.

John scowled, embarrassed that he'd been pinned to the ground by Kelly. It was made all the worse as he heard Sam laughing. "Ha, you got your butt beaten by a girl."

John turned his head so that he could frown at his friend. "I didn't get beaten by a girl. I got beaten by Kelly." John flinched as Kelly pulled his arm in a painful direction. "Ow, what was that for?"

"For calling me not a girl." Kelly frowned down at him. "I'm not a guy."

"You told me to not treat you like a girl." John was just getting confused. She got mad at him when he treated her like a girl, and now she was made for him saying she wasn't one.

"I said don't treat me differently because I'm a girl, not completely deny my gender." Kelly released him and moved off of his back. John sat up and massaged his shoulder. "I'm a girl, you just shouldn't treat me differently because of it."

"Fine, fine, you're a girl but you're no different from a boy. Happy?" Kelly nodded and John relaxed. He still didn't understand what she wanted. It was all so complicated. He was starting to think that girls were more trouble than they were worth. Not that he would ever give up having Kelly as a friend. She was worth the headache as far as he was concerned. He just wished he could treat her like one of the guys, but that seemed to upset her.

"So, then do you think that Kelly's cute?" Sam was obviously trying to cause trouble and make Kelly mad at John, but John didn't really have proof of that.

Kelly looked at him and John wasn't sure what to say. Would telling her she was cute make her happy or mad? Would it be treating her differently to tell her that she was cute? Would she then ask if he thought Sam was cute to see if he thought of her differently? Rather than reply John just stared at her, not able to find any words.

"So you don't think I'm cute?" A frown crossed Kelly's face as she spoke. At that moment John knew what answer would make her happy.

"Of course you're cute." It was John's true answer. He was just glad that it wouldn't anger her. "You're very cute."

Kelly smiled at the words and John noticed that her cheeks became a bit red. Well that answer seemed to have done the trick. "You're cute to, John." John wasn't sure how he felt about being called cute but since it was coming from Kelly he assumed she meant it in a good way.

"You do realize that boys aren't cute. They're tough, or handsome. Not cute." Sam cut in.

Kelly frowned at their friend. "Well John is cute. Cuter then you are." She put an arm around John's shoulder. "He is handsome and manly as well, but he's also cute."

"A boy can't be handsome and cute." Sam crossed his arms, not annoyed since she was praising John and had sort of insulted him.

"Well maybe you can't but John can. Guess he's not a boy. I suppose that makes him a man since he's not a girl or a woman." Kelly leaned against John, setting her cheek on his shoulder. John had no idea what to do. He'd somehow become stuck in this. All he'd wanted to do was try to best Kelly. How had things gone so wrong?

"Or maybe he's a girl. I mean if he's cute then he has to be a girl." John was sort of wishing that Sam would just stop, but his friend seemed determined to push it.

John jumped a bit as Kelly's hand forced its way under his shirt and up his chest. "What are you doing?" He felt his face heat as her hand moved over his skin. This was getting out of hand.

"Nope, his chest is…well not flat but it's not a woman's chest." John felt her hand trail over the muscles of his chest as she slowly pulled her hand out.

John stood up and moved away from the both of them. "All right, this ends here. Kelly, you are a cute girl. Sam, I am not a girl, and Kelly can call me whatever she wants to call me." He looked to Kelly. "But seriously, I'm not cute. I prefer any of the other terms, but cute…I just don't like it."

Kelly sighed and lay down on the gym floor. "Fine, you aren't cute." She seemed upset with the fact that he hadn't backed her, but right now he didn't care. She'd just been touching him and it had brought up some odd feeling he didn't understand. All he wanted to do was get away from all of this. He quickly moved out of the gym, hurrying away.


	5. Beautiful

Kelly frowned at the male trainees as they watched Linda walk along the side of the pool. She didn't know why she was so mad at the moment. Linda was her friend and hasn't really done anything wrong and the guys were just watching her. Kelly didn't know why it bothered her so much.

Linda stopped to talk to Kathleen who was heading toward the lockers. Kelly was just watching them when she suddenly realized there was something very different about the two of them. Their bodies were different. Kathleen would have easily been able to pass off as one of the guys in normal clothing and in her swimsuit it was only evident that she was female because of the slight development of her chest. Linda was a completely different story. She looked like a full developed woman, curves and all. Was that what had all the guy's attention?

Kelly looked toward the male trainees and noticed that when Kathleen left they still kept their attention on Linda. Kelly really only cared that one of the men was watching Linda but a part if her was annoyed that Linda had all of their attentions. She suddenly became aware of her on physical appearance sitting on the bench in just her swimsuit. She looked more like Kathleen than Linda, just a bit more developed than the Red Team member but nowhere near how Linda was. Kelly suddenly felt awkward, vulnerable, and it scared her. She wasn't used to self-doubt and she wasn't sure how to handle it.

Kelly did the only thing that seemed logical, she left. What wasn't logical was wrapping her towel around her body to try to hide herself from any glances that might wander her way for a second when she passed Linda.

The walk to the lockers was uncomfortable and as terrifying to her as running toward a tank with no armor or weapon. She managed to make it to the lockers but even there she felt uncomfortable. She sat in front of her locker, not willing to remove the towel. Maybe she should have waited for everyone else to finish so she'd have some privacy.

"You all right?" Kelly looked up to Kathleen who was opening her own locker.

Kelly wasn't sure what to say. Kathleen was the one person she thought would understand her feelings the most. "I just...I wish they wouldn't stare at Linda like that. It makes me..."

"Angry, feel inferior, sad," Kathleen offered. "Yeah, I know what you mean." There was an edge of annoyance to her voice. "It's hard to express but when they look at her and ignore me it hurts."

"They only look at her because of her body." The words came out more agitated than Kelly wanted but she couldn't help it. "No offense but neither of us will ever get looks like that from the guys." They were only twelve but most people thought they were in their twenties. Kelly was fairly sure that most of them had developed as much as they would, particularly if Linda was any indication.

"No offense taken. I've accepted the way I am. I've accepted that I'll never even develops as much as you." Kathleen shrugged, apparently brushing it all off.

"How do you do that? How do you get over how it makes you feel?" Kelly sort of admired it. Kathleen was just letting it all roll off her back. Kelly wondered how long she'd been dealing with these emotions that she was able to just push past them like that.

"It's really simple. Every time I feel jealous of the looks Linda gets and feel bad about my own body I just think: if having looks like that means I have to be as cold and boring as Linda then I'm fine with how I look."

Kelly felt that was a bit mean but she did admit that it was a bit logical. Linda may have the guys watching her but she knew that they didn't seek her out for conversation. Yeah, if you were close enough to Linda she could have a full conversation with you but even then it felt like talking to someone who was a bit of a stranger. There was a lot that Kelly didn't know about Linda even after six years of friendship.

Kathleen removed her swim suit and tossed it into her locker. "I heard this female soldier talking, had a big scar on her neck and cheek from a burn. Her friend was consoling her about her appearance and said something I think will help you. They may like her for her looks but they won't stick around once she's opened her mouth. They'll come to you for who you are and see the beauty inside over time."

Kelly just stared at Kathleen for a couple seconds. "I think that's the most girly thing I've ever heard you say."

"Hey, I was just repeating what another woman said. Just thought it would help you," Kathleen pointed out.

"It does, it really does. Thanks, Kathleen ." Kelly smiled at the other woman. Kathleen didn't seem comfortable with the praise and turned, heading toward the showers.

Kelly finally removed the towel, feeling comfortable enough to get undressed. She took a quick shower and moved out to the locker room. Kathleen was getting dressed and on the bench behind her sat Fred, holding his bleeding nose.

"What happened?" Kelly moved over to her locker, glancing over at Kathleen and looking for answers.

"Men are idiots." Kathleen slammed her locker and she noticed that Fred flinched. Kathleen stormed out, still fuming over whatever had happened.

Kelly looked to Fred for answers. John moved over and leaned against the locker beside Kelly's. "Anton dare Fred to say something...mean to Kathleen, sort of insinuate that she's a man, and she punched him for it," John explained.

"Good," Kelly snapped. "If you're going to be a jerk to her you deserve to be hit," Kelly directed the comment at Fred. Maybe that was how Kathleen dealt with things that hurt her emotionally. She hit them, knock them down and at least you cause them pain for the pain they cause you. They did it all the time in training when a teammate was hurt. Maybe Kelly could take that approach, she was sure she could hit anyone before they could even react. She decided that a violent approach just didn't fit her.

"You should get your face cleaned up," John advised. Fred nodded and stood up, moving away. Kelly started to get dressed as John continued to talk. He was explaining the information he'd been given about their training exercise that they'd be doing early tomorrow. Kelly took in the information, glancing toward John every once in a while so he'd know she was listening. She'd finished lacing up her boots and looked up to John. He was explaining what he expected from the exercise but he wasn't looking at her. Linda had come out of the showers and was getting dressed. Apparently that was more interesting to John and his eyes were steadily on the red-haired woman.

Kelly felt the same annoyance and hurt from earlier and decided she didn't need to stick around and basically be ignored. She swung her legs around to the other side of the bench and stood up before moving out of the lockers. Either she moved too fast or he really hadn't been paying attention because it took him a moment to register she was leaving. She heard him call her name once in confusion but she ignored it.

They sat at dinner like always but Kelly remained quiet for most of the meal. She was still trying to deal with the confusing emotions from earlier that he meal was over they went different ways, deciding how to spend their bit of free time. Kelly was heading to the track for a quick run but as soon as there was almost no one around John grabbed her arm and pulled her a different direction. He wasn't forceful, just lead her behind a building.

When they were away from everyone else Kelly pulled her arm out of John's grip. "What?" She demanded.

John didn't waste time and answered her directly. "Why did you run off earlier?"

" I didn't run. If I'd run then you wouldn't have seen me leave." It was a technicality but she didn't yet know how to answer the question.

"Why did you leave at all? I was talking to you and then you just left." John frowned at her and it angered Kelly. He had ignored her and thought that he had a right to be mad at her.

She decided at least this time she'd try it Kathleen's way. She'd let her anger decide her answer. "Funny because as you wouldn't even look at me I figured you weren't talking to me so I left." John was surprised by her aggression and he backed off a bit, not sure how to handle an angry Kelly. She wasn't angry at him often so it was never something he learned to handle. His gaze dropped and she could see he felt bad about it, though she wasn't sure if it was because she was mad or because he'd ignored her. Still she felt a bit bad about being mean. She wouldn't take back what she said but she could be a bit more calm. "It's just, when you're talking me I'd like your attention, even for a second."

Kelly wrapped her arms around herself. The same doubt she'd had earlier that day rose up again and she cursed the way this all made her feel. She was Kelly, blue three and she was confident, not weak like this. John's gaze turned back to her and he seemed upset by her posture. "I'm sorry, Kelly I really am. I promise that whenever I talk to you in the future you'll have my full attention, only you."

Kelly knew it was just another promise he wouldn't keep but she nodded, a part of her hoping this one time, this promise, would be an exception and he'd keep it. "All right."

"Come on, you can be my sparing partner," John offered. Kelly followed him to the gym, forgetting about her run. The sparing turned out to be perfect. Kelly didn't go easy on him and there was something therapeutic about knocking John on his butt. Maybe Kathleen was more right than Kelly had expected. They sat around and chatter for a while after the match while Kelly iced the places where she'd hit him too hard.

They sat beside the sparing mat, Kelly holding a cold compact to John's shoulder. John leaned back against the wall holding his shirt out if the way so that Kelly could hold the compact to his bare skin. They had settled into a comfortable silence, until John broke it. "You hit me a lot harder than for just not paying attention to you," John stared. Kelly kept her mouth shut. "What's really got you upset?"

Kelly didn't know if it was really something that she wanted to talk about with him. He was staring at her and she knew he wasn't going to let it go. "It more of has to do with why you weren't paying attention to me." From the look on his face she guessed he didn't know what she was talking about. "It's not a problem you'd understand. Guys and girls just develop very differently."

"I want to understand. Please, Kelly, explain." John's hand moved up to her hand that held the compact in place. He forced her to move it away and pulled his shirt back up.

Kelly wasn't sure how to even start to talk to a man about a woman issue. "You aren't able to understand, John. The way guys develop they can just train to look how you want. There are parts of a woman that now matter how hard you train you can't improve those parts." John still didn't seem to understand. "Just drop it. It's a girl thing and if you persist then this conversation is going to become very awkward for you."

"No, I said I'd treat you just as fairly as the guys and that means helping you when I can. I'm going to help you," John stated.

Kelly thought of arguing but it was a long and troubling day and she really didn't have the energy for it. She'd have to try to embarrass him into dropping it. "Linda has bigger boobs then me."

John froze at the words and she could see that he was blushing, exactly what Kelly had expected. What Kelly wasn't expecting was for John to speak after that. "So her breast are bigger than yours." Kelly could tell that the word breast had been hard for him to say.

Kelly sighed, knowing that he wouldn't understand. "You don't get it because you don't get compared to the other men. When everyone is watching one woman and it isn't you and you realize that you aren't attractive enough to even get the attention of one guy."

John watched her like she'd make some move that would suddenly cause it all to make sense. He was over thinking it like he always did with matters like this. Maybe he was thinking a bit too hard about the last part of what she'd said. John frowned but was still confused. "Guys get compared to each other all the time. I mean Sam is more muscular than I am but I don't get upset about it."

"It's not the same, John. You can just train more to gain muscle weight. There's no exercise I can do that can increase the size of my breasts." Kelly leaned back against the wall and crossed her arms over her chest.

"I will admit that is true, though he does gain muscle easier than I do," John pointed out. "I do notice that the girls will watch him more than me."

"That's because you're squad leader and it's intimidating to try to stare at your squad leader," Kelly countered.

"You stare at me," John argued. "You don't seem at all intimidated by me."

"That's because you're my best friend and as I just proved I can kick your butt." Kelly smirked at him, a bit satisfied with herself and feeling more comfortable.

"We are best friends which is why you can trust me when I say," John's hand moved over and forced her to move her arms from her chest. "You are beautiful the way you are." Kelly frowned at him and shot him a unimpressed look. "I mean it. Nine-point-five out of ten times I'd spend the time with you. The point-five of course being me trying to spend time with Linda but leaving part way through to spend time with you."

Kelly smiled at that last bit. A comment like that was rare from John, something sweet and a bit humorous, a hard combination for the squad leader. Kelly let her arms relax and John smiled just a little bit. Kelly moved faster than he could stop and her arms wrapped around his neck and hugging him tight.

John's arms wrapped around her after a moment of hesitation. Kelly relaxed her grip a bit, allowing her head to rest on John's chest. She smiled as she listened to the slightly elevated beat of his heart. "You're a great friend, John."

"The best?" John asked.

Kelly pulled a bit away from him and placed a light kiss on his cheek. "The best a woman could ever hope for." She returned her head to his chest and grinned as she realized his pulse was quicker and he was taking deeper breaths. Kelly laughed and snuggled a bit closer to him. "Am I making you nervous?"

John eased his own grip on her to be more comfortable. "How could I ever be made nervous by a girl as pretty as you?" Kelly was aware that he wasn't being serious. Kelly hugged him a bit tighter and made herself comfortable. John cleared his throat. "Um, we should clean up the gym and head back to the barracks." Kelly ignored him, keeping her grip on him. John sighed and shifted, making himself more comfortable. "All right," he muttered. John let his head rest against hers and they fell into a relaxed silence.


	6. Starry Night

John stared up at the starry sky above him. He examined the locations of the stars and could point out all the constellations they had been taught by Deja.

"You know, we haven't done this since we were little kids." John turned to look at the source of the words. Kelly lay only inches away from him, gazing at the sky.

"We haven't really had a chance." John stared at her as he spoke. He memorized the way the moonlight fell on her face. She looked toward him and he tore his gaze from her and turned to the sky. He felt oddly embarrassed that she had caught him staring at her.

"What's wrong?" Kelly's hand moved over and lightly nudged his.

"I was just thinking about the last time we stargazed. We were talking about life out there." He tried to keep his eyes on sky but they traveled to the woman beside him.

"I remember. You said that if they existed that you'd want to meet them." Kelly smiled. "You change your mind?"

John shook his head. "No, I still want to meet them. I want to know everything about them."

Kelly frowned at him. "Humanity fights with itself. What makes you think that these aliens would be nice and wouldn't end up fighting us? What if our first contact ends up with them deciding that we all should die?"

"That's a bit of a dark thought, Kelly. There's alien life out there and it would want to kill us?" John frowned at the idea. He liked to believe that if there was life out there that it would at least give them a chance. John sat up and moved to hold himself partially over Kelly. "I'd rather focus on something more pleasant."

Kelly looked up at him, confused. "Like what exactly?"

"Like the way you look in the moonlight." John wasn't exactly sure where he was coming up with the words. The moment felt more like a dream then reality. But this wasn't a dream. He stared down at her. He remembered the recent dreams he had been having that had involved Kelly and himself. This was his chance to turn them from dreams to reality. "Would you mind…I mean…could I…Would you not want…"

Kelly groaned. "Whatever it is spit it out. You look pitiful stuttering like that." Her tone was light and teasing.

"Can I kiss you?" John blurted out the words. He felt heat rise to his cheeks and neck. He'd never really been one to blush, so the embarrassment was odd to him.

"I thought you would never ask." Kelly's hand pulled him down and he let her lead him. The kiss was awkward at first but they managed to figure out what they were doing. They broke apart for air but Kelly kept him close. "I've always loved you, John."

John was stunned by the words as Kelly said them. He hadn't been expecting anything like that from her. She pulled him back to her and all thoughts of the words vanished from his mind as their lips met.


	7. Worry

John set his boots down on the floor beside his bed. In the recent exercise against Tango Company his boots had gotten very muddy so he made a note to clean them later. He was taking off his socks when a hand slid under his chin, cupping the area near the base of his jaw. The hand turned his head and he looked to the side of his view to see Kelly.

"What are you doing?" She was staring intently at the side of his head. He frowned as he noted the scratch on her cheek. She'd likely gotten it from the rocks that had bounced up under the cargo truck. The same rocks that had cut his ear when they'd been hanging from the undercarriage.

"I'm looking at the injury on your ear." John felt one of Kelly's fingers run over his ear near the bandage he'd put there during the mission.

"It's fine, Kelly. You don't need to worry about it." John tried to pull his head away but Kelly held on. He scowled, not understanding why she was at all worried about such a small wound.

"I want to be sure." Her face was only centimeters away from his face and he couldn't tell exactly what she was doing. He felt her lips press against his ear and he quickly pulled away. "What's wrong? They say kissing a small injury can make it better."

John rolled his eyes. "Kelly, that doesn't make any logical sense. Besides, that's what parents are supposed to do for their kids. You are not my mother." He turned toward her and his arms wrapped around her, pulling her down to the cot. She let out a slight squeak of surprise before it turned into laughter as he started to tickle her.

Kelly fought against him though it was hard as she tried to suck in air between laughs as his fingers moved over her skin. "John, stop it."

John continued his actions, avoiding the worst of her attempts to get him off her. "Not until you say the magic word."

Kelly tried to pull herself away from him. "Ha ha…John…ha ha." She managed to get onto her stomach but John simply put his weight on her legs and to pin her down.

"Sorry, that's not the right word." John grinned as she tried to get away. He could tell she was unable to take in enough breath to do anything but laugh so he reluctantly stopped tickling her, settling on lying on the bed, spooned against her. He rested his chin against her shoulder and draped his arm across her.

Kelly lay on the bed, panting to try to catch her breath. John ran his hand down her arm until it reached one of her hands. He pulled the hand toward him a bit so that he could see it better. There was a small cut on it, which would explain why she'd dropped her mirror when the guard had been doing the sweep under the vehicle.

"I wish you wouldn't take such risks." John's attention was snapped from Kelly's hand when the woman spoke. John raised an eyebrow, not knowing what she was talking about. She must have realized because she explained. "Why did you insist on being the one to set off the trap with the Tango soldiers at the pelican?"

"Because I'm the squad leader." John hugged her against him. "It's my job to take on the danger. I could never ask you to do that."

"You wouldn't have to ask." Kelly turned in his arms, resting her forehead against John's chest. "If you would just give me the option to volunteer then I would. You don't have to ask me or order me. I'd do it." Kelly's hands gripped his shirt and tried to pull her closer to him. "John, you're my best friend. I don't like seeing you hurt."

John moved one of his hands to the back of Kelly's head and, with the hand on her back, cradled her against him. "You mean too much to me Kelly to let you do that. I could never live with myself if you died or was hurt doing something because I let you volunteer for it." He settled his cheek on her head. He closed his eyes and just relaxed with her on the cot.

John sat down on his cot, a bit annoyed. The under layer, and a few of the plates of his armor had been burned up in the most recent mission. It was why he was without his armor right now. They were replacing the components and until then, he was just in his standard issue clothing.

John looked up as a Spartan entered and he recognized her right away. It was Kelly. She moved over to his cot and looked up at her. He was a bit disappointed to see her still in her full armor. "Couldn't find a good reason to get out of your armor?" Usually when one of them had to be out of armor the other would find a reason to get out of theirs so they could be together. It disappointed him that he had to be out of armor but she wasn't.

Kelly moved to him and sat down on the cot beside him. The cot squeaked in protest to the weight. She reached up and removed her helmet. "I couldn't come up with anything that suited them." She set her helmet to the side and then carefully touched his arm, looking down at the spot where the melting of his suit's under layer had burned his arm which was healing. "I wish you didn't take such risks." She lifted his arms and he watched as she pressed her lips to the healing skin.

John let her kiss his arm, raising his free hand up to her cheek. "You know I'm not going to have this conversation with you again. I'm team leader, I make the decisions."

Kelly kissed along his arm. "I wish you'd just keep in mind that I need you." Kelly leaned to him, brushing her lips over his. "I don't want to figure out what I'd do without you."

"You won't have to." John pulled her to him, kissing her more deeply for just a second. "I'm not going anywhere Kelly. Not as long as I have you to watch my back." He frowned as he once more wished she was out of her armor. "That's enough of that."

Kelly smiled and before John could stop her, not that he could as her strength was enhanced by the armor and he didn't have his, she pinned him to his bed. He flinched just a bit at the weight of the armor on him but she shifted so that it was redistributed and no longer pressing him down onto the bed. John looked up at her, confused though Kelly only smirked down at him. "Want to be manhandled by a Spartan in armor?" John didn't get a choice before she descended on him.


	8. Rabbit

Kelly just kept running, not stopping. It was what she was best at, faster than anyone. It was why she was always rabbit. She could run away from anything, or lure anything in to a trap. Her feet pounded against the ground as she ran without looking back. She could hear the gunfire but she couldn't risk looking back.

Pain laced through her leg before she could really tell what happened. It took a second for the information to process in her mind. She'd been shot. She could already feel the warm liquid of her blood running down her leg. The ground came up fast and she hit the grass, tumbling. Her view switched from ground to sky then back again as she finally stopped.

Kelly tried to move her leg but it refused. She would have expected that with stun rounds but the blood was proof that they were using live rounds. Her leg moved just a little bit and new pain shot through her. From the feel of it the slug must have still been in her thigh. All she knew was that she couldn't run on it. It wouldn't even support her weight. Still she tried to get up, forcing herself to her hands and knees.

Something struck the back of her head and she fell to the ground again. Kelly looked up to see a pair of soldiers standing over her. One of them still had his gun ready to strike her again with the butt of the rifle. "Well look what we got here. One of the ONI's freaks."

Kelly felt a gun be pressed to the back of her head. "Well, what shall we do with her?" The second soldier leaned over a bit so he could look at her. "She's a rather cute woman. I think we could take her with us."

That made Kelly afraid. She didn't fear the gun, but she understood what the men were insinuating. She was sure that none of them knew her true age, or they wouldn't have even let the through cross their minds. She was only thirteen but for some time the Spartans had looked more like fully grown soldiers. She kept her mouth shut, though. They may not have any sympathy for kids, or they wouldn't believe her and just assume she was trying to save herself. She felt someone grab her arm and she reacted.

Kelly pulled the man toward her to attack him. Before she could the gun that had been pressed to her head hit the back of her head. The world swam for a moment and then Kelly's vision vanished and she fell unconscious.

When she woke up she found herself leaning against John. The first thing she was aware of was the pain. The second thing was that John only had a grip on her upper body, holding her tight. Another person had her legs pinned down so that they wouldn't move. She felt the person digging around in her wound to pull out the bullet. Kelly couldn't stop the scream of pain as her brain registered the pain and reacted. Kelly felt John hold her tighter as her hands moved to his shirt and held on tight. She turned her face toward him to try to muffle her screams a bit against him.

It felt like it took forever for them to dig the bullet out of her. When they finished the trainee released her legs but John still held onto her. She clung to him for a little while, letting the pain in her leg subside and go numb. Kelly buried her face into his stomach and just lay there, trying to get control of her pain. She finally relaxed and realized that John's hand was stroking her hair. It soothed her and Kelly's eyes closed again as she drifted off.

When Kelly woke back up she was alone, or at least she thought she was. She felt a tug on her leg and a bit of pain. Kelly groaned and the motioned stopped. She looked down toward the person and found John unwrapping her thigh. "What are you doing?" She moved so that she wasn't so strained to look at him.

John helped her sit up before he answered. "I wanted to get a look at it, be sure it wasn't infected." John went back to unwrapping her leg. She gritted her teeth against the pain. It didn't hurt that badly, but she was trying not to make noise.

The last of the bandage was pulled away and Kelly could see the wound in the side of her leg. It was then that Kelly realized he'd had to pull her pants down to around her knees to be able to get to the bandage. She didn't like it. If she had to run they would stop her from a full stride. Not that the wound wouldn't stop her first.

Kelly watched as John's hand moved over her thigh, being careful to stay away from the wound. She watched as his hand slid higher on her skin as he leaned in to look at the wound. His hand stopped moving, having slid to her inner thigh. She just sat and waited, knowing that eventually he would tell her how it was.

John looked up from the wound though Kelly noted he kept his hand in place. "It seems to be healing fine." His hand finally move and Kelly lay down as she allowed him to rebadged the injury. He moved so that she could see him. "Lift your legs a bit." Kelly did as he instructed and she felt him pull her pants back up. She put her feet on the ground and lifted her hips, allowing him to pull them the rest of the way up.

John moved to sit down beside her and Kelly shifted so that she could move to lie across his legs, head resting against his stomach. "So, what happened?"

"They must have had a marksman. He shot you from a distance and the bullet ended up lodged in your bone. The soldiers were going to take you." John's arms settled over her back in a sort of protective gesture. "Sam and I attacked them while the others kept the remaining soldiers pinned."

Kelly nodded at the information. She was just glad she hadn't been taken. Kelly's hand moved up to run over his stomach and he allowed the action. "Thanks for getting me out of there."

John's hand moved to cover the one on his stomach. "I'm sorry I put you in that position. That field was too large, too much time for them to get a better angle and hit you from. I'm sorry for my mistake."

Kelly sighed and pulled herself closer to him, moving so that she was still sort of leaning against him but she could look up at him. "You know as rabbit there are going to be plenty of times that you send me into combat and I'm going to get hurt doing my job. You just have to be there to keep the people from killing me."

John seemed to think about that idea for a moment. "Then I'll find another rabbit." Kelly's fist hit his shoulder. "What was that for?"

"I'm the only rabbit you need, John. You can't take away my best skill from me." Kelly relaxed again. "I'm rabbit, got that clear?"

John shifted a bit as he became more comfortable. "Yes, ma'am." His hand moved to her back and slowly moved up and down. Her eyelids grew heavy and she succumbed to sleep, falling asleep in John's arms.


	9. A Promise

Kelly stared up at the sky, watching as the clouds passed by. They had spent the last couple days on the island, after making it so that Mendez's men couldn't get to them. Since there was no real threat the trainees were using it as a chance to relax a bit. This was why Kelly was laying in the grass along the edge of the lake. "I think that one looks like a rabbit." She pointed toward one of the clouds.

John moved his head over a bit so that he could get a better view of where he was pointing. "That definitely looks like a goat." He pointed to a cloud a bit to the right. "That one looks more like a rabbit."

"Do you even know what a rabbit looks like? That is totally a whale." Kelly pushed his head a bit away from her. She turned toward him and was surprised to find his face close to his. At thirteen it was hard to ignore the hormones that reacted to how close he was. She was going to say more but it was lost as they lay in the sun just staring at each other.

John turned so that he was lying on his side and Kelly did the same. "You know these days have been nice. It's not often that we get a chance to be relaxed like this." He reached out and his hand ran lightly over her arm. "You know I think I could live like this." Kelly raised an eyebrow. "I mean a peaceful life like this, with you." He smiled at her and moved close enough that his forehead rested against hers. "One of these days, Kelly, I promise I'm going to marry you."

Kelly sat up and John frowned at her in confusion. "I wish you'd stop making promises that you can't keep." John sat up and gave her a confused look. "You make promises to me all the time. You don't keep them, or I know that you can't keep them."

John frowned at her. "I keep my promises." He crossed his arms. "When have I not kept my promise?"

Kelly leaned a bit toward him. "When you promised that we wouldn't lose to green team last time, or how about the last time you promised that you'd figure out Mendez's exercise and you didn't. How about when you promised you'd sneak out with me. You didn't and I had to take Jorge with me."

"You took Jorge with you?" John looked at her, an expression of surprise and hurt on his face.

Kelly rolled her eyes. "You're missing the point. I'm trying to point out you always make promises and never keep them. Am I even the first girl you've promised you'd marry?"

John thought about it for a moment and then looked away from her. "No, but I was just a stupid kid when I made that promise. I really mean it this time."

Kelly looked furious for a moment before she turned away from him. "I should have known." John tried to reach out to her but she pushed his hand off of her arm. "It doesn't matter anyway. You know that we can't get married, neither of us can. We're going to be soldiers for the rest of our lives. We can't be married. You need to stop making promises."

John looked down for a moment. He suddenly sat up a bit taller and she looked at him confused. "You're right, I do make too many promises that I can't keep. I swear from this moment on that I will not make a promise unless I am sure that I can keep it, and once I make a promise, I'll do whatever it takes to follow through with it." He reached out, and put his hand on the side of her face. "And with that new policy I'm am promising you now, that if I can find a way, if ever there is a chance, I am going to marry you."

Kelly wanted to tell him he was making promises he couldn't keep again. She didn't, because the look in his eyes told her that he really meant it. Kelly's hands moved to the back of his head and pulled him a bit closer. "You better keep that promise." She pulled him to her, kissing him.

John returned it and the next thing Kelly knew she was pinned down to the ground. He pulled away and smiled. "Now, to get you back for saying I can't keep promises." His hands went to work, moving over her sides and Kelly started to laugh as he tickled her.


	10. Skinny Dipping

The moons hung high in the starry sky, casting soft light over the surface of Reach. The calm night air was filled with the buzz of insects and the absent calls of wandering Moa looking for lost friends. The waters of the lake were still, rippling only as the breeze rushed through the open space. It was in this peaceful scene that seven thirteen-year-old trainees stood at the edge of the water.

"I don't see the point of this. I mean, we go swimming often enough. What's so special about this?" John stared down at his reflection in the water. "What's the point or risking being caught?"

"It's not just the thrill of possibly being caught." Kelly grabbed the bottom of her shirt and pulled it up over her head, letting it fall to the ground. "Now off with it." She grabbed John's shirt and quickly pulled it over his head before he could stop her. "Grab him."

John tried to get away from her but Sam grabbed him, locking John's arms to his side. "Sorry buddy, but right now it's more fun to follow Kelly's orders."

Kelly's hands went to work on John's belt, undoing it. John tried to struggle against them but was failing. "Let me go." Kelly pulled off his pants and his boxers in one quick motion and then Sam let him go. "If this is a joke or prank, it isn't amusing."

"It's not a joke." Sam pulled his shirt off and motioned to Linda, Will, and Fred who were also all getting undressed. "It's called skinny dipping."

John didn't seem at all comfortable standing outside, naked, while everyone else was getting undressed. John decided to focus fully on Kelly as she stripped and tossed the last of her things into a pile. She grabbed John's wrist and pulled him forward. When she got near the edge she stopped and spun, flinging John forward. He fell under the water and came back up a moment later. There was a splash beside him and Kelly broke the surface, running a hand over her hair.

"Why did you do that?" John frowned at her and Sam hit the water beside him. John shook his head a bit to get some of the water off of him. "So what is the point to this?"

Kelly's arms wrapped around John's neck from behind and he blushed as her body touched his. "It's to have fun. The fun of swimming, the excitement of possibly being caught, mixed with the thrill of nudity. What more could you ask for?"

"How about a puppy? A puppy would be nice." Will grinned as he started to doggy paddle. "At least that's what I would ask for."

"A puppy does sound nice." Kelly pouted at John. "Would you be a puppy for me?" Kelly moved her arms so she could scratch behind his ear. "I'll be sure to pet you and rub your belly." John blushed as her hand moved under the water and rubbed his stomach.

"You don't want him as a puppy. He'd be like a German shepherd. I'll be a golden lab." Sam grabbed Kelly around the neck from behind and the weight pulled her down under the water. Kelly suddenly resurfaced and Sam came up a bit away from her. "Oh, it wasn't that awful."

"That wasn't cool, Sam." Kelly moved over to John and grabbed his arm, wrapping her arms around it. "I think I'll stay with my German Shepherd. He wouldn't try to hump me while he's drowning me." John frowned, looking at her confused.

"No, I can't see John trying to drown you." Will chuckled and moved over toward Linda. "You wanna' play chicken. I can be your base, John can be Kelly's, and Fred can be Kathleen's."

Fred looked around at the group and frowned. "Where is Kathleen?" He looked toward the shore and spotted her sitting a distance away from the lake, back to the other trainees. "Why isn't she joining us?"

"I'll go find out." Kelly climbed out of the water and jogged over to Kathleen and crouched beside her. Kathleen started to talk to Kelly, though they were too far away for John to hear.

Sam's elbow jabbed John's side. "Not a bad sight, is it?" He grinned at the sight of the crouching woman. Sam looked to John and his smile fell a bit at his friend's frown. "What?"

"She's your teammate, you shouldn't be treating her like that. She deserves respect, not to be leered at." John shook his head. "It's just not proper behavior."

They men all watched as Linda climbed out of the water and walked toward Kelly and Kathleen. "You do realize she's going to tell them what you two were just talking about?" Will grinned and waved as Kelly and Kathleen turned to look back at them.

Kelly glared at the boys and Kathleen shook her head, saying something before she stuck up her middle finger and faced the back of her hand toward the lake. Kelly imitated the gesture but was more focused on what Kathleen was telling her.

John frowned as he looked over to see Fred whispering something to Will. The pair nodded and Fred got out of the water. He moved over and crouched in front of Kathleen. She seemed to be agitated with him, or with so many people talking to her all at once. John watched as Fred leaned forward for a second before he suddenly stood up and ran toward the lake.

Kathleen turned around from where she was sitting on the ground and got to her feet. "I'm going to kill you, Fredric!" Fred ran back to the water and dove in. Kathleen followed him to the edge of the lake but didn't go any further. "Come up here onto the land so I can kick your butt."

"Why would I do that? You'll hurt me if I go on dry land. Back me up here." Fred looked to Sam and John. "It would be stupid to go on land, wouldn't it?"

"Strategically speaking, yes. It would be a bad idea to go onto the land where the enemy is. Though in this case you're sort of doomed no matter what. She's not going to leave before we do, and we aren't going to come to your aid, so she'll get you eventually. It's more of a question of do you want to hurt now or later." John shrugged. "Completely your choice."

"Wow, I'm so glad to know you have my back." Fred looked back up at Kathleen and grinned. "Good thing I have a backup plan." Kathleen looked confused and Fred just continued to grin.

Will suddenly shot out of the water and grabbed the front of Kathleen's shirt and pulled her down into the water. Kathleen thrashed and Will quickly swam away, a hand clutching his head as he stopped next to John. "Damn she hits hard under water."

"I am going to kill the both of you." Kathleen shook her head and glared at Fred. Her clothing was soaked and clung to her body.

"Quick, grab her." Fred moved forward and Sam did as well, grabbing onto Kathleen's arms. "Help us out here, John." Fred wrapped his arm around Kathleen's so that she couldn't stop him from holding her or hit him.

John frowned at them and shook his head. "With what? I don't see why attacking her would make her any less angry or likely to attack you."

"With taking her clothes off. It's not skinny dipping if she has clothing on." Fred grunted as Kathleen tried to pull free. "Hurry up."

"I'm not doing that." John backed away a bit and looked over as Kelly and Linda joined them in the water again. He looked to Will and motioned to Kathleen. "You do it."

"Why won't you do it? Aren't you supposed to be squad leader? Here you are afraid of undressing a woman." Will rolled his eyes and moved over to Kathleen, starting to undress her.

John moved a bit over to Kelly and Linda. "I actually just don't want to be punched when they let her go." He glanced over his shoulder as Will threw the last of the clothing onto the bank. As soon as Sam and Fred released Kathleen her fist struck Will in the stomach. "That was what I was avoiding."

"Smart of you," Linda commented. "All right, time for some games." She smiled a bit and John frowned, a bit worried.

It turned out he had good reason. The first thing they played was chicken, which involved having Kelly's thighs against his cheeks an her bare crotch pressed to the back of his neck, all the while trying to stay standing as Kathleen and Linda tried to knock her off. After a while of both Fred and John being awful bases they finally decided to change games. They played Marco Polo, which went worse than the first game. The girls had thought that it was funny to put their hands under the water when they went looking for a person. John's rear had been grabbed several times and there had been a very awkward moment when Kelly had grabbed a very sensitive part of him under the water. He was still finding it hard to meet her gaze.

Linda was the first to head back to base. She said something about her hands being wrinkly and left. Will left next, followed by Kathleen who dragged Fred with her. Sam stuck around for a bit then decided to head back. That left John and Kelly alone in the calm waters. They stared up at the stars above, leaning back against the bank.

"I love looking at the stars." Kelly smiled as her gaze turned to the moons, hanging in the sky. "It's so beautiful here at night." She looked to John and smirked. "Wanna play a game of two person Marco Polo?"

John smirked and decided that she must be joking. He decided to joke back. "Not if you're going to grab so hard." He looked away from the stars as Kelly moved to be standing before him. She leaned forward, placing her hands on the bank behind him.

"I promise I'll be gentler this time." Kelly smirked suggestively at him and John blushed, though he didn't stop her as her arms moved around his neck and she closed the space between them.


	11. Not a Problem

Kelly walked through the base, trying to pretend that nothing had happened. It was hard, though she managed it. She and John had been caught making out in the showers, and just a few minutes ago Sam had kissed her. She'd understood then why Sam was so upset, why he had attacked John so violently. He'd was jealous, jealous of her and John.

She stopped as she spotted John, walking into the showers. Kelly waited a minute before she followed him in. She sat by the lockers, waiting for him to finish. She listened to the sound of the shower as she fought to keep her mind from dwelling on the recent events. She was mad at Sam. John had asked her permission the first time that he'd kissed her, but Sam hadn't given her the same courtesy. Even though the kiss had been short and simple she still felt dirty for it.

She'd been so lost in thought that she hadn't heard the shower stop. She didn't even notice as John walked in. It wasn't until he opened his locker that she was snapped back to the present. She looked over at him and then looked back away as she realized how little he was wearing. She sat in silence as he got dressed.

John sat down beside her on the bench. Kelly finally looked over at him, still able to see the slight bruises that were starting to form on his cheek and the cut on his left cheek. "Are you all right?" Her hand reached up running lightly over the scratch.

"Yeah, medics said that I was fine, just a little bruised." John's eyes stared at her before he spoke again. "Did you talk to him? Find out why he was so mad?"

Kelly took a deep breath, wording her answer carefully. "He was mad about us." It was true, though she doubted that John would understand the full reasoning.

"If he was really mad that we didn't tell him then he should have told me, not tried to kill me." John frowned. The whole situation was troubling to him. Sam had been acting oddly toward them both. Kelly nodded and leaned toward him. John stopped her, raising a hand between them, before she could complete the kiss. "Kelly, we talked about this."

Kelly backed away only a little bit, her hands moving up to his chest. "Please, John, just one more. I need it." John seemed reluctant and Kelly wished she could express how much she wanted just one more from him, and why. They'd decided the day that Sam had found them that their relationship had to stop. Sam walking in on them had proven that they weren't as hidden as they had thought. They'd come to the agreement that they had to end it. Kelly had decided that if she could never have a relationship again, then she would make John the last man she kissed. Now that Sam had kissed her, John wasn't her last.

John finally let out a long sigh, giving in. He knelt down a bit and their lips met. The kiss only lasted for a second but that was enough. "That's the last one." Kelly nodded and looked away from him, moving her hands to her lap. "You're still my best friend."

Kelly smiled a bit and nodded. The two trainees turned as a third person entered the locker room. Sam looked at his two friends, then seemed to think about leaving before forcing himself to stay. He walked over and stood before John. "I'm sorry." John stood up so that he and Sam were at the same level. "I was upset and I shouldn't have attacked you like that."

"I'm sorry that we didn't tell you, Sam." John glanced at Kelly before looking back at his best friend. "Besides, it's over between us now. It was too much of a risk."

"Oh." Sam looked down at Kelly who looked away from him, then looked back to John. "Well, then I guess it's not a problem."

John shook his head and smiled slightly. "Not anymore. Though I have to admit that you got some good hits in on me. Next time, though, try to aim that anger at the instructors, not the teammate." He chuckled slightly and Sam joined him. "I'll see you both later." He nodded to them and moved past Sam, walking out of the locker room.

Sam shifted slightly then looked back to Kelly. She continued to stare at the floor at her feet. "Was it because of me?"

Kelly shook her head. It really hadn't been his fault. "No, we decided that it was too much of a risk of getting in trouble. We've trained so hard and we didn't want to put it in jeopardy." At least that was what Kelly kept telling herself.

Sam hesitated before he spoke again. "I'm sorry about what I did. Not what I did to John, but what I did in the barracks." He shook his head slightly. "I just couldn't help myself. It's just that…I love you."

Kelly stood up and glared down at him. "Don't say that!" Sam flinched back a bit, probably afraid that she'd hit him. She didn't want to hear those words from him. She wasn't sure what hurt more, the fact that Sam had admitted that to her knowing that she couldn't return it, or the fact that in all their time together John had never said those words to her. "We can't have relationships. We can't ever."

Sam nodded and stood up. "You're right. I just figured that if he got to say it, I should get to say it." Kelly looked away from him, trying to hide the hurt in her eyes. "Well, I'll see you back in the barracks." Sam paused for a moment before he turned and left Kelly alone in the locker room.

Kelly sat back down on the bench, staring at the lockers in front of her. She really hated love.


	12. Recovery

John sat on his cot, shining his boots. He was finally getting the hang of his changed body. Everything had been more difficult, even walking, after the augmentations. He'd had to relearn everything. They'd been put on a strict diet and got injections regularly. John didn't exactly understand it, it hadn't really been explained, but he trusted the UNSC.

John looked up as the door opened and two people walked in. Fred still walked a bit oddly, and while his hair was growing back it had silver streaks in it, which hadn't been there before. Will was right behind him, lumbering a bit. They moved to their cots across the room from John.

Will pulled out a fresh shirt and shut his locker. "Any report on the rest of our squad mates that haven't been released?"

Fred shook his head. He stood up and moved over to John. "Any word on how Kelly is doing?" John looked up at him and he frowned. He wasn't sure exactly why it was that Fred was asking. He'd been a bit close to Kelly, but not as close as John or Sam.

John shook his head. "None yet. The last thing I was informed she was still in recovery."

Fred shifted and John would have guessed he looked nervous. "Do you think she's going to make it?" John could hear the fear in Fred's voice.

John didn't want to answer right away. He didn't want to admit it but he was starting to wonder the same thing. He didn't like to think about how he might lose her. He didn't like the thought of her not being there to back him up. John stood up and turned to Fred. They stood at almost the exactly same height. "Kelly is strong." It was the only answer that he could really give him. Fred didn't look at all satisfied with the answer but let it go. John watched him return to his cot.

He still had free time, but he wasn't in the mood for going back to the gym to train more. He moved out of the barracks and made his way to the medical wing of the ship. Most of the staff ignored him, believing that he was there for treatment. He slipped into the room that was his destination when no one was looking.

John moved to the side of the bed and looked down at the young woman lying on it. She was built like an athlete and he had to admit that she had become a beautiful woman. Her head was still shaven and her skin was a bit pale. Her face was peaceful and it didn't show the life-or-death struggle that she was currently fighting. His hand moved over and his fingers trailed along the skin of her arm. It was cold, and that worried him.

John looked over his shoulder and then back to the woman. "You have to pull through, Kelly." His hand moved to hers and gripped it lightly. He couldn't say it aloud but he needed her to stay alive. He felt his heart hurt as he looked down at her, so close to death and him unable to do anything about it. He glanced over his shoulder one last time to be sure that there was no one nearby. He really shouldn't be doing this. He didn't even think that she would want him to do this, but he needed to. John took a step closer and leaned over, bringing his lips to hers. Her lips were cold against his and he squeezed her hand a bit tighter.

John pulled away and he felt his heart fall. He didn't know what he was expecting, but whatever it was, he didn't get it. He stared down at her and cursed himself. Even though she couldn't hear him and it was becoming a more imminent threat that she wouldn't survive. Even with all of that, he couldn't tell her that he loved her.

John placed one last kiss on her cheek and stood up. "You can't die, Kelly. I need you." He hung his head, helpless. He released her hand and silently left the room, knowing that standing around would do no good. If any of his squad members saw him, they'd know of his worry and it might cause word of it to spread.

It would be another week before Kelly would wake and get out of the infirmary. John was actually jealous of Fred as he watched the other man squeeze Kelly in a bear hug. Instead he could only return her salute when she informed him she was reporting for duty. Deep down, he was relieved she was all right. There was still a long road for all of them until they fully recovered from the augmentations, but he was confident he could get through it as long as she was at his side.


	13. Still There

John moved into the locker room. He was finally used to his new body. Now he was stronger, faster, and smarter than he had ever been. It had been a lot to get used to, but he was starting to like it. The problem was that things seemed too easy. His fellow Spartans were the only soldiers he could fight any more and make it so it didn't seem like it was a waste of time.

John moved over to his locker, opening it. He had just finished his workout, and it had taken a lot more then it usually did to properly exercise, but he'd managed it. He stripped off his shirt, tossing it into the locker. He was about to remove his belt when he felt hands grab the buckle and he was pulled to his left. He looked down and found slim hands undoing the buckle. He looked to the woman attached to the hands and found Kelly, clad only in a towel. "What are you doing?"

Kelly looked up just before she finished undoing his belt and pulled it quickly out of the belt loops in a swift motion. "You're going to take a shower, aren't you?"

John nodded his head. "Yes, but I don't see what that has to do with you stealing my belt."

"Well you don't need a belt to take a shower. I do need a belt to keep my pants up." Kelly held up the belt, waiting for him to argue against it.

John frowned, thinking of stealing it back but he knew better. He may be faster than before the augmentations, but Kelly was always faster then him. He wouldn't stand a chance of grabbing it back. "But then I won't have a belt when I finish my shower."

"That's not my problem." Kelly smirked before she pulled open her own locker. She set the belt on the shelf at the top before she removed her towel, tossing it back over the bench behind them.

John glanced over at her, trying to be discrete as his eyes roamed over her body. At fourteen she was slim, fit, and she'd developed. Since their augmentations she had grown up a lot. Not only had she grown, but she's gained curves where they hadn't been in the past. John turned his attention back to his task at hand, frowning a bit. He felt odd, or at least not like he should have.

In the past when John saw Kelly naked he had to fight himself not to touch her, pull her against him, and do inappropriate things. It wasn't so much that that fight was gone, just that it was so much easier to push those instincts to the side. He still wanted to do all those things, he was sure he would still enjoy them, but it wasn't as much an overwhelming need to do them as it had been. Either something had happened to him during the augmentations that had dampened his desire, or he had just gotten better at controlling himself. He couldn't figure out which one.

He stood before the locker, staring ahead just trying to think it through. The physical desire was lessened, but he knew that his feelings hadn't gone way. He still wanted Kelly close, knew that he still loved her. He supposed it would be for the best. He'd fought with himself about not acting on his attraction, but if he could easily push it to the side then it would make things easier. He wondered if Kelly felt the same drop in physical desires. He would bring it up, but that would be admitting that he still had those feelings for her, which he'd told her he had put aside after they'd broken up. He argued with himself over if asking was a good idea or not. He was so stuck in his mind that he didn't realize that Kelly was saying his name.

"John, are you all right?" Kelly put a hand on his shoulder. John looked toward her, glancing over at her hand. The contact of her flesh on his felt nice, and he was content with just that. Yes, his body did tell him that he would like more, but he didn't feel compelled to act on those desires.

John snapped himself back to the present. "Sorry, I was just thinking. Guess I got lost in my head." He returned to his task, removing his pants and underwear, tossing them in with the shirt in his locker. He turned to Kelly to see her finishing putting on her shirt. "You will bring me a belt?"

"That depends." Kelly shut her locker and she turned to him. He saw her gaze run over his body and she frowned just a little bit. Most people wouldn't have recognized it but he knew her well enough to know even the slightest frown from her. He wondered if she was having the same thoughts as he had had. "Are you ordering that as my squad leader?"

John didn't answer right away. He finally decided which. "No, I'm making a request, as your friend."

Kelly smirked. "Well, then I'll try to remember to bring you back one. Though I'm sure the women of the ship would actually thank me if they got a chance to look at that rear." She moved around him and he jumped a bit as she smacked him on the rear.

John brushed aside the action. She was just messing with him, or maybe she hadn't lost as much of her desire as he had. "Just remember a belt."

Kelly laughed slightly and leaned against the locker on his right side. "We'll see about that, Johnny."

John couldn't help but smile as she called him 'Johnny'. He shut his locker and turned toward her. He quickly looked around the locker room and then reached out, pulling her to him. She let out a sound of surprise as he hugged her. "I'm really glad you survived, I couldn't stand losing you."

He finally released her and she didn't move very far away. "Well, it's good to know that I'm wanted." She hesitated for only a fraction of a second before she turned around and walked out of the room.

John watched as she left, watching the way her hips swayed. He felt the desire rise up just a bit but he easily pushed it down. "Yeah, you're diffidently still wanted." John turned, heading into the showers to clean up.


	14. Mending

John sat down on his cot, flinching just a bit as pain shot through his side. Medics had seen and tended to his wound but that didn't mean it didn't still hurt. He leaned back, trying to find a way to ease the pain. It was harder than he had expected. His eyes slowly closed and he tried to relax. He'd been told to get some rest.

John was just drifting off when he heard the door to the room open. He ignored it, half listening as the person walked through the room. He slipped farther into sleep but was woken up just a moment later as a hand touched his bare side. His eyes opened and he looked over to find Kelly examining his side where the mark from the wound was still a deep red.

He didn't even think as his hand rose up, running over her head. Her gaze turned up to him and John saw the concern in her eyes. "Your hair is growing back." He smiled as he spoke. He could feel the slight fuzz on her head. She'd voiced a bit of worry, or maybe she had been joking, before that it wasn't going to grow back. It was a good sign to him. It means she was likely to recover fully.

John felt her hand rest on his side and they sat in silence for a moment before she finally spoke. "How's your wound feeling?" Her gaze dropped down to his side, to the mark that would likely vanish in time.

His free hand moved over to cover hers. "It's fine, just hurts if I sit the wrong way. Medics say that I'll be fine." His hand continued to run over her head, enjoying the feeling of how soft her growing hair was under his fingers. It had been a while since he'd been able to touch her hair. He missed it, he missed any physical contact with her that wasn't purely duty related.

Her eyes didn't move from his side and John removed his hand from hers, pulling the shirt down over the area. He was hoping that if she couldn't see it then she might stop thinking about it. He frowned as she didn't move her hand. She was still staring at that spot. "We were lucky, it wasn't a major injury." Her words were quiet as she said them.

John fought his desire to pull her to him and comfort her. "I'm just glad it was me." He wasn't sure what to do. His free hand wanted to feel her skin but he didn't think she'd want that from him. Though she was letting him rub the fuzz of her hair.

Kelly smiled a bit. "That's just like you. If you can't find a way to get everyone out uninjured it has to be you that gets hurt." She leaned against him and rested her head on his chest listening to his heartbeat.

John felt like pushing her away but deep down he knew that he didn't want to. They'd managed to complete their first mission with great success, so he deserved at least a little reward. He'd take that in allowing himself to have Kelly for just a short while. His arms wrapped around her and he held her close. John's eyes shut and he relaxed. "I was a fool to give you up." It had been a thought in his head and when he realized he'd said it out loud he froze, waiting to see if she'd even heard him.

Kelly sat up and John cursed at the dejected look on her fact. "You were." She closed her eyes. "And you broke your promise. You said you wouldn't do that anymore." John felt a pang of guilt as she looked toward him. He could see the hurt in her eyes. She'd trusted him and felt like he'd broken that trust. "Do you remember the promise you made to me?"

John reached up and his fingers ran over the side of her face. "I am still going to keep that promise. I still want to." She smiled and he pulled her back to his chest. "One of these days I'll find a way."

Kelly's hands gripped his shirt. "You better keep that promise." Kelly rose up, pulled herself toward him. Their lips met and John hesitated for a fraction of a second before he held her close and returned the kiss. The door to the room opened and Kelly pulled away quickly. It surprised John and all he could do was release her the moment her movement had registered.

They looked to the door and found Sam staring at them. "They want reports from each of us. Kelly, they want to see you."

"Sure thing, Sam." She turned back to John and smiled at him. "Try to get some sleep. We need you fully mended before we can go on our next mission." She stood up and John watched her follow Sam out the door.

The two Spartans walked in silence for a while before Sam finally spoke. "I thought you and John broke it off." He looked at her out of the corner of his eye, keeping his head facing forward.

"Well, we had, but I guess it's not that over." Kelly didn't really know how to explain it. "I still love him, Sam. I always will. I guess a part of me is just hoping he really does love me back."

Sam scowled. "You sure about this, Kelly? You know what happened last time. I just don't want you to be hurt again. I don't want to see you crying over something he's done."

Kelly smiled slightly. "Thank you for caring, Sam, but I can make my own choices. I'm choosing to do this, and you can't change my mind."

"I'm not looking to change your mind, Kelly. If this is what you want, then go ahead. I just want to be sure you really want this." Sam put an arm around her shoulder. "But if he messes up again, I do get to beat the crap out of him, right?"

Kelly laughed and smiled up at him. "Only if we aren't in a combat zone and he isn't already injured badly. Then you can beat him up." She shook her head a bit as they moved down the hallway to make their reports.


	15. Smile

John sat across from him. They were going through the signals that they used to do out of armor. With the new speed and power that the MIJOLNIR armor gave them, the old subtle signals they used to give were exaggerated and obvious. John had chosen Kelly to help him decide on the new motions. He told himself it was because she was the fastest Spartan and would probably have the most trouble doing them, not because he wanted to keep her close.

So far they had figured out how to signal trouble ahead and to stay cool. "I think we can use the radios for attention. Just clicking the COM should be good enough." Kelly tested it out.

John shook his head. "Make it two. That was we are sure that we mean attention." John clicked the COM twice and Kelly nodded. "Now, we can use the acknowledgment lights to help us. Red can men to fall back. Green is a friendly signal, that whatever is approaching isn't a threat. We can use the amber flights for a warning to stop." John checked out each of the lights. They all seemed to work and Kelly nodded. "Try the wait signal."

Kelly made a fist with her hand. "It seems too fast." John could feel the frown behind her visor. She was so fast that slow motions like the wait signal were hard for her. "I'll practice it. I'm sure it's just me that'll have trouble with it."

John nodded, letting it go. He slowly made a fist with his own hands, satisfied that he was able to do it slow enough. He flicked a finger and Kelly tilted her helmet to the side. "It means open a private COM."

Kelly did so and leaned forward a bit. "So, what else do we have to figure out? We can't really improve our all clear signal. It's six notes so the armor doesn't really change that."

John thought for a moment. "Well we haven't figured out the smile yet. We can't see each other's face through the visors so we'll need a way to show that we are pleased."

"Well that's not a hard one." Kelly reached out and swiped two of her fingers across John's faceplace. Her fingers lingered for a moment before she finally retracted them.

John stared across at her. "You know you should probably do that on your own faceplate." He wasn't really complaining. That was as close as the armor really let him get to Kelly. He hadn't realized how much he missed the intimate contact, even if it was just one of those times where her hand would bump his.

Kelly didn't answer right away but when she did John could hear the playful tone of her voice. "If it were anyone else, maybe, but then again when I smile at another Spartan it's not the same as when I smile at you. Therefor the way I do the smile signal to you should be different."

John had to admit that she was right. He had noticed a difference in how she would smile at Fred or Linda than how she would smile at him. It was a very small difference, as small as the difference of what faceplate she used. When she smiled at him the left side of her lips would rise just a bit more than the right and there was a warmth in her eyes that wasn't there when looking at others. "All right." He reached out and swiped his own two fingers across her faceplate. Behind the reflective surface he was smiling, the sort of smile that he only gave Kelly.

Kelly lifted her hand, flattening it and placing the palm side of her hand against where her mouth would be under her helmet before reaching out, repeating the action on John's helmet.

As she pulled her hand he watched it. He knew he was going to regret his next words, and he knew they would hurt, but he had to say them. "I think we should just stick with the smile." He could see the slump of Kelly's shoulder. John stood, wanting to get his mind off of it. "Come on, we need to show the others." John turned and moved out of the room with Kelly on his heels.


	16. Relax

John felt uncomfortable as he tugged at her hem off his uniform, trying to straighten the cloth. There were so many people around, and it made him uneasy. Today had started out as a ceremony, awarding metals to his team for feats that felt like they'd happened ages ago. The new metal hung from his left breast, forgotten. It was just one more in a long career. As he saw it, no amount of awards would help them win the war.

"You need to relax." John looked over as Fred moved to his side. He seemed much more at ease then John felt. "There's no fight here, just a party."

"I don't see how having a party like this is a good idea. We need to be in the field, fighting the Covenant." John's gaze traveled over the crowd. "I don't feel comfortable out of armor."

Fred let out a long breath. "Look around at these people. They are relaxed, enjoying themselves. You and I know how bad the war is going. Events like this allow these people to be led to believe things are not that bad. It's all about moral."

John admitted that Fred was right. If the UNSC stopped events like this then civilians would realize how hard they were fighting, that things weren't going smoothly. Right now people needed to have confidence in the UNSC, or humanity might not stand a chance. "That still doesn't help me relax."

Fred smiled a bit. "Maybe they'll help you relax." Fred motioned to Linda and Kelly as they moved toward him and John. It had been quite a while since he'd seen the two women out of armor. They both wore clean pressed uniforms, though Kelly looked uncomfortable in the knee length skirt. He was sure she'd requested pants instead but had been denied. Personally he thought she looked better in the skirt, but he'd never let her know that.

"How are you two enjoying the evening?" Fred asked once the women reached them.

"I think this is the more boring than listening to a lecture about slip-space theory." The edge of Kelly's lips tugged down, a show of how unhappy she was at the moment. "At least we're better off then Will. A captain caught him and is telling him stories of naval battles."

Fred sighed. A Captain telling war stories was like torture to a Spartan. It was like slowly being bored to death. "I'll go rescue him." He moved off to find Will and the Captain to try to save the Spartan from possibly killing the Captain to get away.

Kelly moved over to stand at John's side. "Are you enjoying the evening?" John frowned a bit. She was teasing him, and he wasn't in the mood at the moment to be teased.

Linda glanced over at Kelly and John could swear the two women had a silent conversation in a fraction of a second. He had to guess it was some woman thing. He often found that the female Spartans seemed to have a separate set of signals and language that they used with each other. "I'm going to go see if that Lieutenant that's been watching me all night has the guts to talk to me." With that Linda left them.

"You need to try to relax." Kelly looked out at the crowd. "You're as rigged as if we were waiting for inspection by Chief Mendez." John tried to ignore her teasing. "It's a party, don't be so serious."

"I can't help it." John glanced over at Kelly. Her hair was freshly cut and she looked beautiful in her uniform. The cloth conformed to her body. Campaign ribbons covered a part of her left breast. It was almost identical to the ones on his own uniform. It reminded him that she'd always been at his side, his blue two. Even now as they stood at this party she was by his side.

"Why not?" Kelly raised an eyebrow just a bit. Anyone else wouldn't have noticed, but it was obvious to John.

"I just keep seeing threats. All the staff that's serving food and drinks. Every one of them could be a threat." John eyed the staff as they moved around. Looking around made him realize how many people were staring at them, or rather how many were staring at Kelly. He fought the urge to put an arm around her waist; making it known she was taken. "I don't like this crowd either."

Kelly motioned for him to follow her. John did, not questioning where she was taking him. Anywhere was better than the party. He followed her through empty hallways to a large room that was vacant of people. On one side a large screen showed the planet below.

"Why'd you bring me here?" John looked around the room. There was nothing here, though the music from the other room echoed from the speakers overhead.

"To get you away from all of that." Kelly motioned toward the party. "You may not be able to relax around that, but I know that you can with me." Kelly moved over to one of the chairs and sat down. John sat down across from her. "Relaxed yet?"

John shook his head as he studied the woman across form him. He could see the scars that combat had left on her over the years. Each a memory of the life and death situations they had faced together. Kelly sat comfortable, feeling no need to be proper around him. She looked confident, just the way she's always been. He remembered that second day of training when she'd threatened him. These days he was fairly sure she was the only woman that would threaten him. John couldn't keep his gaze from dropping as she crossed her legs and tried to tug down the fabric though it refused to cover her legs.

"I hate these damn things." Kelly scowled, still tugging at the cloth. He could see a slight blush on her cheeks. "I flash the room every time I cross my legs."

John's gaze traveled over her legs before rising back up to her face. "I don't mind you flashing me. It's not like I didn't see what's under that uniform when we showered earlier." Kelly blushed deeper. "And I like the skirt."

Kelly smirked a bit. "Oh, you like it do you?" John nodded. "Well I honestly don't mind flashing you. It's all the other men I mind."

John frowned. He hadn't thought of that. He hadn't even liked guys looking at her at the party. The idea of any of them being flashed by her sickened him a bit. "I'll see that you get a pair of pants for your uniform."

Kelly sat up, triumphant. "Thank you, and I promise to only wear this," she motioned to the skirt, "For you."

John smiled softly. He stood and moved across the space to stand before Kelly. She frowned, confused by the actions. "I'm relaxed."

Kelly raised an eyebrow. "And now you're propositioning me?" She didn't seem to believe it was something he would actually do.

John didn't understand what she meant. He held out a hand. "I am asking you for a dance."

Kelly looked disappointed. "Oh, that's not as dirty as I thought you were suggesting." She reached out and took his hand before she stood. "I'd love a dance."

John led her to the open area of the room and they took their places. He put his hands on her waist as she put hers on his shoulder. They started to move with the music. John had to admit that he'd never been his relaxed. He'd never really gotten to have a peaceful moment with Kelly like this since the war had started. Kelly leaned forward, letting her head rest on his chest. John closed his eyes and just enjoyed the moment.

They danced for what felt like hours until the music finally finished. They stood in the empty room for several minutes after the last song, not willing to break apart. There was a flash and a click and the two Spartans turned to see Linda standing with a camera.

Linda was grinning and walked off toward Fred who was standing in the hall. "I got out Christmas card for this year." A slightly evil smirk crossed her lips.


	17. Injury

Kelly crouched behind the warthog, listening for the sounds of her enemy. She tried to filter out the sound of the fire burning on the vehicle behind her. Kelly glanced to her side where John was also crouched. His gaze was forward and she was sure he was concentrating on the sound like she was. The two of them had been separated from the rest of the team. The falcon that they'd been on was hit by some plasma. John's security strap had snapped and Kelly had tried to stop him falling. Her attempt had worked, until the falcon was hit again. The two of them had fallen from the vehicle as the falcon tried to retreat from the plasma fire.

The crash had done some damage to their armor, though it had at least minimized the damage to them. Kelly knew that it had caused her some trouble. She was fairly sure something was bleeding inside of her, and she was pretty sure that her ribs were bruised. Not that she was letting it show. She'd told John that she wasn't hurt, and he had believed her. John was limping a bit and Kelly guessed that his leg had to be injured, though from the way that he seemed a bit out of it, sometimes pausing just a bit more than usual he might also have a head injury. The pause wasn't enough to affect their fighting, just enough for her to notice.

There was a bark in the air and Kelly heard a familiar whining noise. Kelly gripped her knife a bit tighter and her hand went to the grenade on her belt. John looked to her and he nodded. Kelly prepared herself, knowing that she'd only have a few seconds in order to do what she had to. She had to trust John to be able to handle the grunts while she took care of the tank.

The grunts passed the warthog, too focused on walking forward to look where the two Spartans were hiding. Kelly waited until they passed her before she moved. Kelly moved behind the grunts and ran straight toward the wraith tank. She saw the turret swivel toward her but she didn't stop. She jumped up onto the tank and forcibly made a handhold. Plasma hit her arm and she gripped the tank tighter as she pulled her other arm back. She hit downward and shoved the grenade into the pilot's compartment.

Kelly moved to get off of the wraith but she was hit by the turret. Plasma splashed over her chest and helmet and she lost her grip on the tank. She fell to the ground at the base of the tank, stunned for just a moment. She knew the tank was going to blow and she put her hands on her head to try to protect herself a bit. Heat washed over her as the tank exploded, but it wasn't as much as she had expected. Kelly opened her eyes and spotted an armored hand braced on the ground beside her head.

John moved and Kelly looked back at him. He moved off of her enough for her so she could move. Kelly moved a bit out from under him and turned over so she could face him. The back of his armor was smoking from the heat. Kelly moved out from under him but swayed a bit. Her chest burned and her vision swam for a moment. Arms wrapped around her waist and she leaned into John to try to get her balance back.

Kelly righted herself though she was still unsteady. She couldn't figure out why it was that she was unbalanced. Her head felt sort of clear and there was no reason her bodily injuries would cause such an effect. Kelly gripped onto John's armor as the world remained uneasy. She was slightly aware of him helping her over to a building and assisting her in sitting down against a wall. The lack of balance was starting to cause her head to hurt and made her feel a bit sick. She took deep breaths, trying to calm herself and force down those problems.

John suddenly pulled the helmet from her with a lot of force. She frowned at him though realized that without the helmet everything was stable and she didn't feel like falling over. John moved to sit beside her, looking through the compartments of her helmet. She could see that one side of the helmet was burned and partially melted. They sat in silence for a moment, Kelly just watching the Master Chief pick through her helmet. He stopped, and she recognized the slight signs of frustration. "What?"

John looked to her, as though he hadn't expected her to be all right. She had been swaying pretty badly. "I'm just having trouble figuring out what's wrong with your helmet." He pulled off his own and put the two of them, bottom up, on his lap as he looked at them, comparing the two.

"You mean other than that mine is partially black with burns?" Kelly looked at the two of them and examined what inside parts looked different. "I don't see anything that looks wrong."

"Other than that yours has blood on the visor." John tilted the helmet so that Kelly could see the blood she'd coughed up that obscured her view. "Is that from before or after the wraith?" Kelly looked up to meet and saw the serious expression on his face.

Kelly looked away from him, staring at the wall across from them. "I'm fine. Still perfectly capable of fighting."

"I didn't ask you if you were able to fight. I asked if you this was from before or after the wraith." John made it clear he wasn't going to give up on this until he got an answer.

"It's from the fall," Kelly admitted. "I told you I was all right. I never said that I wasn't injured." Kelly turned her gaze back to the helmets. She took hers from John and stared into it, looking at the components.

John sighed and looked down at the helmet. "Kelly, you could be walking around with a bleeding liver and a deflated lung and you'd still think you were perfectly fine and ready to fight." His face was the same neutral as always but Kelly saw a flicker of concern in his eyes. Concern for his teammate, but also a concern that meant more than that. "You never know when enough is too much. You've always been able to be more injured then the rest of us and keep going, but it means that you don't know when things are really bad and you need medical. From now on, when you're injured, you tell me what injuries you have. I'll keep track of it and it will allow me to prevent more problems or injuries accumulating to a point where you'd be out of combat for weeks." John's voice was dead serious, but Kelly could see in his eyes that there was genuine concern. He cared about the Spartans, and he really didn't want to see her hurt like that. She told herself he felt that way about everyone.

"Fine, from now on I'll let you keep tabs on my injuries so that I don't have to." Kelly shifted her helmet and pointed at a component. "Is that supposed to be like that?" She was indicating a wire that was curled and contacting another circuit.

John looked at his own helmet and then to hers. "No, it isn't supposed to be connected there. He indicated the same wire on his helmet which stretched straight and contacted a completely different part of the wiring. "So that's the problem."

Kelly uncurled the wire and stretched it toward the correct area. "I don't think I can repair it. I need a soldering iron to keep it in place."

"Try the systems like that." John slipped on his own helmet and Kelly did the same. "How is it? Still feel unable to stand?"

Kelly stood up and looked around. "Something's still wrong, but I can keep on my feet." She couldn't put her finger on what exactly was wrong, until she looked at John. "Oh, seems that I can't get color." She shrugged, realizing that it didn't matter that much.

"It must be the color filter. I guess it was messing with some other circuit and making your systems feel like something was wrong." John moved to look her over. "Any other injuries besides your internal?"

Kelly decided to be forward with him. "I have a couple bruised ribs, and I think I have some burns on my chest from the plasma. Other than that and maybe some slight burns on the bottom of my feet from the wraith exploding, I'm good." John glanced down toward her feet and she put a hand on his chin, forcing him to look up. "Very slight burns. I can still run just fine." At least she hoped so.

John nodded. "Let's go grab the plasma pistols from those grunts. Maybe we'll also get lucky and get some plasma grenades. John moved out of the building and toward the dead enemies, Kelly right behind him.


	18. Machine

John was distracted as he walked into the Spartan barracks. His mind was still focused on the taunts of the soldiers when he'd been heading toward the labs to have his armor removed. He was used to people muttering and calling him names but something annoyed him this time, he just couldn't put his finger on what.

"Someone's in a deep, pensive mood." John turned around to face Kelly as she spoke. She leaned up and placed a light kiss on his cheek. John shifted uncomfortably, not used to the public shows of affection. Sure they were alone in the barracks at the moment but to him it was still public. "Calm down, John. No one can see us."

"Anyone could come around," John argued. "We could go somewhere private if you wish to continue a path of affection."

Kelly sighed and shook her head. "No, you kind of killed the flow. Sometimes I wish you could be more relaxed. I love who you are John, but this stuff isn't your strong point."

John frowned, not sure if he should be offended. He decided that it was true he wasn't good at being in a relationship and let it go. He would focus instead on improvement. "How did I kill the flow?"

"It was the way you worded it. There's something that's just unappealing about the term 'path of affection'. You should have said something more appealing. Like: if you'd like to go somewhere more intimate I'm sure we could find a place to be alone." As she spoke Kelly raised her hand and placed it on his chest.

John looked down to her hand and he felt the familiar desire she caused in him rise up. It was a bit harder to push down since they'd been intimate and with her hand still on him. He was able to push down the urge to pull her against him but it was still there in the back of his mind, tempting him to act on it. "Yes, I'd like to." He would like a time alone with her at the moment. When they were alone he felt more comfortable with openly talking to her. Maybe she'd be able to help him understand what had bothered him. He often found that her third party view helped him understand his own thoughts.

Kelly studied him for a moment before speaking. "You don't want intimacy." It wasn't a question but a statement. John would have been annoyed with how easily she read him but it tended to be more helpful than troublesome.

John shook his head. "I want some private time to talk," he admitted. Kelly moved over to her cot and sat down. John moved over to his own and sat down facing her.

"All right, what do you want to talk about." Kelly was surprisingly relaxed, leaning back on one arm on the cot.

John took a moment to figure out how to explain what was bothering him. "The other soldiers sometimes refer to us as robots or inhuman." Kelly nodded, indicating she was aware of such talk. "It never annoyed me in the past but some comments made by some soldiers annoyed me today. I don't understand why."

"Well why don't you tell me what they said. It would be easier to figure out what annoyed you if I knew what the possibilities are."

"There weren't any unusual insults," John explained. "They said we were robots, hypothesized that we are AI in robot bodies, that we don't have hearts, and that we are just metal and wires under the armor." John stopped when Kelly raised her hand.

"Do you realize how emotionally expressive your face is? Well to me at least." Kelly leaned forward a bit. "Why are you so upset they think we don't have hearts?"

John didn't know what she was talking about. He'd never been told that he was very expressive and he didn't know how he felt about how easily she could tell the things even he didn't understand. A part of him loved how she could read him and help him but another part was annoyed that he couldn't understand himself. "I don't know. I know we have hearts. They pump the blood through our veins and we bleed just like normal soldiers. I can feel my pulse, know I have a beating heart. There is no reason it would upset me to be accused of not having one."

Kelly frowned examining him. "No, it's not just that." She frowned, frustrated that she couldn't decipher his thoughts. John felt slight annoyance over it as well. He'd been relying on Kelly's knowledge if him to figure out what was wrong but even she didn't know.

"There is no part of it that should have me feeling anything. We aren't machines, it's just the talk of people who don't know better." John wished that they'd gone somewhere more private. He wanted to just take his mind off of all of it and Kelly had the unique ability to consume his attention.

"Well of course they have no idea. To them we're human tanks that come charging in in high tech armor and kill everything. We can do in minutes what they can't manage even given an entire day. Of course they don't think we're human. They don't see us like this." Kelly's hand moved out to rest on his knee. "They don't see that under the armor we're human. We fight for the same reasons as them. Survival, to save people, and for the people we care about." Kelly moved over to sit on the cot beside him. "It's not like you to let something as ridiculous as this bother you."

John didn't really know how to explain it. He only knew that it annoyed him. " Spartans are just soldiers. We fight like any soldier, to protect humanity."

"You say that like humans and soldiers are different. soldiers are human, and just like soldiers we are human, not machines. were just people, humans." Kelly moved a bit closer to him her hand slipping up his shirt and running over his abs. "Hard and firm muscles. Not metal hard but soft and flexible as a human should be, warm inviting skin," Kelly leaned over and put her head against his chest. "And a strong, steady heartbeat. Yep, you are human."

John looked down at the hand still under his shirt. "If you'd like to continue molesting me we should find somewhere private." Kelly frowned at him. "What did I say this time?"

"Molesting is not the right term. It sounds wrong and bad. Try feeling up. That's a much more appealing phrase." Kelly leaned toward him. "Give it a try."

"Would you like to go somewhere and feel me up?" John asked.

Kelly grinned at him. "I thought you'd never ask." She closed the space between them for just a second, kissing him quickly. The urge rose up and before John was able to halt it he closed the space and kissed her more deeply. When they broke apart Kelly pushed him back a bit. "Cargo bay."

Before John could say anything she'd stood up and moved out of the room. John watched her go smiling as she disappeared through the door. He made a mental note of her preferred terms for future use. He lay on the cot considering what she'd said. When he was out in the field he would have said that humans and soldiers were separate, different. Something is different though, when she smiled at him, touched his skin, or simply having her around. In those times he felt that he was human, that a soldier and a human were the same. He frowned, not sure where the difference was. Maybe it had to do with combat, or with location. He closed his eyes and tried to focus on the two. He frowned trying to think of a time when he'd felt the two were the same that didn't involve Kelly. He considered the possibility that she was the constant but she'd always been with him during a fight. He considered the problem for a few more seconds. Perhaps it was Kelly and the relaxed attitude, the chatting and affection. He would have to test this theory in the future. Consider his views right after a mission and then again after talking to Kelly.

John stood from his cot and moved out of the barracks, knowing her kept Kelly waiting long enough. He made a mental note to evaluate if views after they finished in the cargo bay.


	19. Seven Years

John watched Fred, trying to use sheer will to get the man to leave the room. It wasn't really going to happen, since you couldn't force a person to leave just by wanting them to leave, but he could try. He was just going to have to wait for Fred to leave on his own. Until then John would just continue to pretend to stare at the screen. He'd already read the report, so the words in front of them weren't anything important. It just kept Fred from wondering why he was sitting around.

John's gaze turned to the woman sitting on her cot, talking to Fred. He took a moment to simply enjoy the sight of her out of armor. They'd been in combat for seven years already and she had the scars to prove it. He could see them under the thin fabric of her shirt and running along her arms. He forced his gaze back to the screen that he was holding, keeping his mind off of the woman. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He decided that staring at the screen was hurting his eyes so he turned it off and set the datapad to the side. He didn't want to leave the room, though, so he rolled onto his side and settled onto his bed. He could get a bit of rest and he was sure that Kelly would wake him when the other man left.

It was one of the few times that John had actually dreamed. It wasn't often that he slept long enough to really reach the point where he dreamed, so it was odd that he so easily slipped to a point where he was dreaming. He was plagued by Kelly, taunting, teasing, and tempting him. He had the power to resist her when he was awake, but in his dreams there wasn't any need for such will, and he wasn't able to fight it.

John's eyes slowly opened and he found himself staring up into familiar blue. He realized that she'd crawled up onto the cot with him, lying on top of him, and somehow she'd gotten him onto his back. All of this without waking him. Or maybe that was why he'd had that dream. She smiled down at him and he returned it. "You look cute when you sleep."

John scowled at that. "I told you that I don't like being called cute. I didn't when we were young, and I don't now." John put his hands on her sides to keep her steady as he switched their positions. He knew that she was more than fast enough to stop him if she wanted to, but she allowed it.

Kelly reached up, running her hand over his arm slowly, her eyes following her hand as she touched him. "Well then how about peaceful?"

John considered it for a moment. "That is acceptable. Though I'm not sure how peaceful I actually am." He leaned down and kissed her firmly for a few seconds before he broke away. He move to fully hold himself over her and he leaned down, placing a light kiss on her neck. "How do I look now?"

Kelly pulled at his shirt and John pulled away from her as she pulled the cloth up. She tossed the fabric onto the cot beside them. Kelly's hands moved up, carefully running from his chest down to his abs. "The word sexy comes to mind."

John smirked down at her. That word he could gladly live with. He closed the space between them, engaging in a fight for dominance against her tongue. He felt her hands travel down to the waist of his pants and moved to his belt. John pulled away and frowned at her. "What are you doing?"

Kelly sighed and let her hands fall from his belt. The settled on her stomach. "You're still not ready, are you?" She sighed and John frowned.

John didn't understand why she was so unhappy. He wasn't sure when making out with him or being felt up wasn't enough for her. "I don't understand, are you not happy?"

Kelly shook her head and John waited for an explanation. "It's just that I'm ready to move to the next step and you still aren't. I would think after seven years you'd be ready, but I guess you aren't. I just want to know if you'll ever be ready."

John was a bit lost. He wasn't really sure what she was talking about. "I'm not sure what it is that you are ready for and I am not."

Kelly rolled her eyes. John knew she was sometimes frustrated with the fact that personal matters sometimes were harder for him to understand. It wasn't that he didn't exactly understand but that often the terms that she'd used would be ones that he didn't understand. In this case there was something she was referring to that he was supposed to understand without her coming right out and saying it but he was not sure what it was. "Sex, John. I'm ready to have sex and you still aren't ready for it."

John frowned, furrowing his brow. "If that is what you want then we can do that. We might have to find a place more private though as someone could walk in on us here." John started to think of places where the two of them could go to be alone.

"John, I don't want to do it just because I want to do it. I want to do it because you want to as well. I don't see the point in just physical gratification from you." Kelly sighed and tried to sit up but John didn't move and his lower body was still keeping her pinned to the cot. "I don't want sex."

John furrowed his brow and scowled, not understanding. "But you just said that you want to have sex. I am willing to move to that stage of our relationship if you're ready."

Kelly put her hand up and touched his cheek. "I want you to make love to me, John. I want you to really want to do it. I don't want you to force yourself."

John was quiet for a moment before he asked the question on his mind. "What's the difference between sex and making love?" He just didn't get what she meant.

"Sex is purely for the physical satisfaction. Making love is a show of the bond and affection that two people in love share. It's better than just sex." Kelly pulled him down and kissed him roughly for a few seconds. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't what John was used to. She took a couple breaths before she pulled him back to her, kissing him more gently as they usually did. She pulled away and stopped John from closing the space again. "The first one was sex, the second one was making love. Understand?"

John nodded, leaning down again and this time Kelly let him close the space. It was several minutes before they broke apart. John's mind went to work and he made a choice. "Wait fifteen minutes and the head to the supply bay C." John got up off of her. He grabbed his shirt and slipped it on before he left the barracks.

John stood in the supply room, counting the seconds as he waited for her to arrive. Maybe fifteen minutes was too long. He kept playing through what he expected to have happen in his mind. The door finally opened and John moved out enough to see her. She walked over toward him, not all that happy. "All right, why are we here?"

John lead her back to where he had set up a number of blankets to make a flat surface, sort of a makeshift bed for them. It was hidden behind a group of stacked up crates to keep it out of the view of people who might enter. "I thought we needed more privacy. I didn't want to be interrupted."

Kelly stared at what he'd put together. "I told you I didn't want to force you into this." She turned toward him and put her arms lightly around his neck. "Are you doing this willingly?"

John pulled her to him, lips meeting in a passionate kiss. When they finally broke apart John's hands moved over her sides. "I assure you, Kelly, that I am very willing." Kelly smiled at him and they once more kissed, John leading them toward his makeshift bed.


	20. Redhead

"So what do you think?" John looked to Kelly as she moved into the barracks. She ran a hand through her hair which was out of its usual ponytail. Usually John would have found Kelly with her hair down attractive, but this time, he didn't have the familiar desire to run his hands through it.

"Why did you dye your hair?" John scowled as she moved over to the cot beside his and sat down. "And why red?" John let his displeasure leek into his voice.

Kelly frowned, not understanding why he was upset. "I wanted something new. I thought that dying my hair would be the easiest thing that I could do without making any sort of change someone would notice."

"You shouldn't have done it." Kelly's shoulders slumped at John's words. He watched as she grabbed a hair tie and tied it back in as she usually did. "If you wanted to do something different you should have braided it."

"Well I wanted to do something more original then just changing my hair style. Do you really not like it?" Kelly lay back on her cot, making herself comfortable.

"It looked better before." John watched her relax on the bed. "If you were going to dye it a color, why not blue?" John set aside his datapad and turned his full attention to the woman.

Kelly rolled her eyes. "You do realize that just because we are blue team doesn't mean that we had to do things that are all blue." Kelly shook her head a bit. "That wouldn't be original at all. Besides, red is an actual human hair color."

John frowned. "I hadn't thought about the connection with our team." Kelly frowned at him, obviously confused so he explained. "Your hair was dyed blue the first day that I met you. You broke the fingers of several people when they tried to cut your hair. They had to pin you down." A smile spread over John's face at the memory of a six-year-old Kelly being pinned down by a group of DIs so that her hair could be cut.

Kelly looked over at him, a look on her face that John couldn't identify. "I can't believe you remember that." Kelly stood up and moved over to John's cot, lying down beside him. "Unfortunately I can't remove the dye."

John instinctively put his arm around her. "Well you can always just wait for it to grow out a bit then cut it short to where it's brown. If you want then you can let it grow out."

"Are you trying to tell me that you like my hair short and brown?" Kelly raised an eyebrow as she moved her head so it was on his chest.

"Well, I don't mind it long." John's fingers moved to play with a few strands of her ponytail which was draped over her shoulder. "Though it does look rather cute short. I liked the way you had it back during training." John twirled the bit of hair. "Another tip, I don't like redheads."

Kelly moved to lay on his chest. "Really?" She seemed very surprised by the information. "I thought you liked people with red hair?"

"What would give you that idea?" Kelly just shrugged in reply to his question. She settled on his chest and closed her eyes. John just looked down at the woman on his chest. He found it interesting how easily he allowed himself to feel for her. He'd cut off so much emotion when it came to being the leader of his team, but at a moment like this, just lying here, he felt that warm feeling in his chest that he had identified as what people considered love. The problem was such emotion was making it harder to be willing to put her out in the line of fire in combat. He knew he had to, but he felt like he hesitated more when he knew there was a higher risk.

He closed his own eyes, pushing those thoughts away. He didn't want to think about that, even if eventually he'd have to deal with the effects that their relationship was having on his ability to utilize her in the field. For now he would just sleep contently with Kelly in one of the few relaxed moments they had.


	21. Can we win?

Kelly looked to the man sitting on his cot across from her. He'd stopped sharpening his knife several minutes ago and was now just staring at it. She wasn't sure what was wrong with it but he seemed to be examining it, looking for any flaw. Kelly glanced around the room and saw only Grace sitting over with Anton, talking to each other. She opened a private COMM with John, double checking that it was private to be sure no one overheard them. "You know staring at that thing isn't going to make it any sharper." She made her tone light, hoping that she could ease whatever was bothering him with a bit of humor.

John looked up to her, but he didn't say anything. Kelly could feel his gaze, heavy on her, examining him like he had the knife. He slid the blade back into its place in his armor. His hand reached out, gently touching her hand. She looked down at it and then glanced back at Grace and Anton. She was surprised to see John doing something like initiating contact while others were around. John pulled his hand back and finally spoke. "Wait a few minutes and follow me out." John stood up and Kelly watched as he moved out of the room.

Kelly waited for a little and then got up and followed him out of the room, knowing this routine of trying to keep people off their tails which they'd been doing for years. If they left at different times then Anton and Grace were less likely to get suspicious. She found John waiting outside of the door. Kelly fell into line behind him as they moved through the corridors. John moved into a room to the side and Kelly followed him in. He locked the door behind him and moved over to a crate of boots that was set to one side of the room.

Kelly pulled off her helmet and moved to stand before him. "So you going to tell me what's got you all deep and pensive?" She moved to sit on the crate beside him.

John removed his helmet and set it on the crate behind them. He then turned his attention back to Kelly. There was a distant look on his face that she hadn't seen before "You once asked me if there would be more planets to fight for. At the time I had ignored the comment." His gaze turned to the ground. "I haven't thought at all about the possibility of losing, even argued with you about how we can't lose. But it was something that Doctor Halsey said to me today. She said we were running out of planets. The way she spoke, it was like she thought we were going to lose no matter what, that she was working on a backup plan." His hand moved over and settled on Kelly's knee. "I'm starting to wonder if maybe we might not win."

Kelly moved her hand to settle on his. "Just after the last mission you were still optimistic about winning. Did some simply words really change your mind that much?"

John didn't answer right away, but his gaze turned to her hand on his. "She said that there were fewer and fewer planets to run to. That humanity should be looking to where it might have to hide if it were to be that the Covenant destroyed everything. I guess it just made me think again, that maybe this wasn't really a victory, but another domino in a line. That this might be just one more step toward losing."

Kelly's free hand moved over, gently moving to John's chin to force him to look up at her. "There's only one woman who's words should affect your mood. Those are mine."

John stared into her eyes, and she could see that his mind was just a bit more at ease. "It was your words. When Doctor Halsey told me that we were running out of planets it made me think of what you said, then made me think that we as Spartans have been falling one by one. It makes me think that maybe one day something will happen and from every day after that, I'll wake up without you there anymore." John leaned in so that he was closer to her, only an inch away. "I don't think it would be an actual victory for me if when the dust settled all that I cared about was dead. Humanity may go on, but is it really surviving if everything we have is destroyed and broken, humanity broken, do we even really survive?"

Kelly moved her hand from his and over to his leg. "You can't talk like that, or think like that. We need you to be strong. If you aren't strong, if you don't think we'll win, then we stand no chance of winning. I need you to be strong John. You believing that we have to win is the only reason that I believe that we can win." Kelly moved a bit closer, her free hand moving up to his face, touching his cheek, trying to reassure him. "Even if war can break a species, that species can always fix itself. Humanity will be all right. I'm sure that if I weren't there that you would find someone else. Someone that can make you happy."

John shook his head. "I'd compare every woman to you, and they could never match." He moved forward just enough to bring their lips together for a quick second. "Though I'd want you to find a new man if I died."

Kelly smiled and shook her head. "No man could ever stand up to the memory of you." Kelly pulled him to her and kissed him forcefully. They broke apart and Kelly was pleased to see that John tried to once more close the gap between them. She moved back on the crate so that she was leaning against the wall and pulled John to her. His cheek rested on her chest plate and closed his eyes. Kelly's hand moved up to his hair, running her hand slowly over his head, calming him. They sat on the crate, in the empty room, until they realized that people would notice, and decided it was best to avoid suspicion. As Kelly watched John leave she smiled, noting that he seemed to walk with more confidence and purpose.


	22. Sexy Face

John watched as Kelly moved into the gym. She moved over to the speed bag and John stopped mid exercise to watch her. It had been almost a year since they'd been out of their armor, and John wasn't sure when they'd get the chance to be out of it again. John let the weights on his machine fall and gave Kelly is full attention.

Kelly started to exercise and John watched her body as she moved. Each motion was precise and elegant. John couldn't help the smirk on his face as he stood up, walking across the gym. Kelly was too focused and didn't notice him. He was familiar with the routine she was doing so he knew the perfect chance. John moved forward, wrapping her arms around her.

Kelly made a move to attack him but stopped when she realized who it was. "What, didn't like the show?" John kissed her neck and Kelly smirked. John smirked back at her. "Oh, someone has on their sexy face."

John kissed her shoulder and frowned a bit. "What, are you saying that my face isn't always sexy?" His hand around her waist slipped up under her shirt.

"Of course you are always sexy. Though you don't always look like at any second you want to find a remote space with no one in it and do some things that, if we were caught, would get us in a ton of trouble." Kelly moved her hand back to his neck, holding his head to her. "There's a difference between you being sexy and your sexy face."

John looked at her, raising an eyebrow. "And what is the difference between my normal face and my sexy face?" John loosened his grip a bit and allowed Kelly to turn around in his arms.

"Your sexy face is more…well let's just say that I better be the only person who sees it." Kelly's hand moved up to his neck as his own hands traveled down her back to her rear. Kelly laughed and grinned. "It has been a while since we've been able to spend any time together."

"We haven't been able to spend much time together. There just hasn't been time." John leaned down and kissed her jaw. "I'm glad to feel your skin again." His hand moved up and under her shirt, just touching the skin of her lower back. "I think we should use this time properly."

Kelly giggled and John leaned back to nip at her ear. "It must have been a long time. You're not usually this frisky when we're somewhere we might be found."

John frowned and pulled away a bit. "Do you not like me being forward? I can back off if you'd like. You just told me last time that you liked when I come on to you."

Kelly laughed and shook her head. "John, I'm not complaining. I do like it. I'm just teasing you. I don't have anything against you feeling me up in a sort of public space."

John frowned a bit. "I'm not really getting the teasing thing, am I?" Kelly shook her head. "I really am trying, I just can't tell when it's a tease and not you being honest."

"It doesn't really matter. What matters is that we find a nice empty space where no one will find us so that we can have our alone time." Kelly smirked up at him and her nails lightly dug into the back of his neck as she pushed her body against his.

The smirk returned to John's face. "Now that's a signal that I can easily understand. I think the lockers should be empty for a while, and it would give us an excuse if anyone found us."

"Yeah, because we did such a great job hiding what we were doing the last time that we were caught." Kelly laughed and slipped out of John's arms, much to his displeasure. She moved off toward the lockers. Kelly made a sound, as though calling a dog and snapped her fingers. "Come on, boy."

"I am not a dog." John moved to follow her toward the lockers.

"Then why did you come when I called you like one?" Kelly smirked back at him. John kept his mouth shut. He wasn't sure if she was teasing or not, but he decided to assume it was teasing unless she said otherwise.


	23. Hunters

Kelly checked her pistol and made sure her grenades were secured to her armor. She looked across the pelican where John was doing the last of his checks as well. Fred sat beside him; examining his clip to be sure it wouldn't jam. Something must have felt wrong about it when he'd put it in his assault rifle. Beside her sat Linda, double checking her sniper rifle. On the other side of Linda was Will, his fingers tapping against the casing of the rocket launcher he was holding.

"So, what should we expect?" Kelly asked, her gaze turning back to John. Usually he would have given the rundown by now of the mission."

"Unknown. Communications and sensors are being blocked or are down at the moment. We know there were drop ships deployed but that's all. We don't know what kind of forces to expect, how many drop ships were deployed, if there are any survivors, or where on the planet they are."

Kelly scowled, not a fan of so little information. "I don't know about you but I prefer a little more intel with my intel. We're basically flying in blind."

"It's all we've got so it will have to do. We'll get the job done." John stood and the others all stood with him. The rear of the pelican opened and the Spartans moved out into the forest, heading to the first of the cities.

The Spartans spent five days making their way cross the planet, going from city to town to city. They stayed in the forest when resting to avoid being caught off guard by any Covenant troops. On the sixth night the Spartans had chosen a small space surrounded by large rocks that would limit enemy access.

Kelly had perched up on one of the larger rocks and borrowed Linda's sniper rifle to be able to see further around them. She was watching a city far in the distance when someone climbed up beside her. From the sound of armor she knew it was Spartan but when she checked her mission clock she frowned. It was at least ten minutes before the next watch shift.

She felt a hand settle on her lower back where the armor plates didn't cover. She looked over to see John beside her, looking out at the forest. "See anything?"

The hand on her back made it clear that checking up on the watcher wasn't why he was here. He was there to be sure that when her watch was over she'd come sleep beside him. "You're luck is holding out, I think I have spotted something." Kelly returned her gaze to the scope. "There's a slight green light in the city ahead. Not a human color."

John looked out toward the city as his hand moved over her back slightly as he thought. "You think it's Covenant?" Kelly nodded. He removed his hand from her back. "I'll wake the others. Keep an eye on it." Kelly flashed her acknowledgement light and settled in to watch the light.

Seven minutes later the Spartans were making their way through the jungle, heading for the city. "Couldn't you have waited to spot the light?" Will asked. "I was having a good dream. Wouldn't have minded finishing it."

"Will was the next on watch. Why was John coming to visit you?" Linda asked teasingly. She always gave Kelly trouble at how close she was to John. At least the other woman had had the sense to keep John off of the private channel. "You two were holding hands, weren't you? You two have no shame."

Kelly ignored the both of them, more focused on what could have been the source of the light she'd seen. It reminded her of an overcharged plasma pistol but the light she'd seen would have to be at least five of them for her to have been able to see it so far away.

Fred brought them to a stop several times because of movement but it was always native animals. They arrived at the city's boarders at dawn just as light was spreading across the landscape. The Spartans hid in the dense jungle ten meters from the edge of the city. There were plasma burns visible but no Covenant to be seen.

The Spartans moved into the city and made their way street by street, checking each building. Kelly eased around the frame of the door and frowned at the empty street ahead. It wasn't just that it was another empty street but the partially destroyed wall. It was far more destruction than a wraith could do with simple plasma fire.

Kelly realized what was the most likely cause of such damage. "Will, do to still have that rocket launcher?"

"Yeah, why?" Will asked.

"I think I've figured out what's in the city." There was movement behind Kelly and she knew it was John taking a defensive position. "What has a gun with a green glow and can break through a wall?" John tensed behind her, knowing the answer. A Hunter. "There's damage in the street that indicates a Hunter and it matches what I saw."

Kelly continued to watch the street as she waited for John to make a decision. They knew there were at least two hunters on the ground as they always traveled in pairs. The question was where were they and was there more than one pair.

There was motion at the end of the street and Kelly held up a hand. "I have eyes on an elite." The gold armor of the field master shined in the morning sun as it turned onto the street. Kelly tensed as four hunters lumbered behind it, starting to move down the street. "Two Hunter pairs with it."

"I don't think I have enough ammunition for that many," Will admitted. They still didn't know how many rockets it took to kill a Hunter for sure.

"There's a pair around back," Linda announced. "What do we do?"

Kelly watched as the Hunters split up, each moving to a different building and breaking in the doors. They smashed apart the entrances and forced their way in, lighting up the buildings with green plasma. "They're clearing houses," Kelly informed the team. It would be long before they reached the building the Spartans were in.

Kelly ducked back into the house, looking to John for an exit plan. He looked toward the back door and then to Kelly. "How far are they?"

"Only a few houses away and getting closer," Kelly answered. John thought for a second and she knew that he was going through all their options. He turned to her for a second and Kelly noted the small shake of his head as he looked away. She knew what had gone through his head and that it was their best option for them to get away and plan an attack. "John, I've got to do something you're not going to like. You know that." John turned has gaze back to her, understanding. He nodded and she moved back to the doorway. She grabbed one of her grenades and pulled the pin.

Kelly sprang out if the door, the grenade arcing through the air toward the elite. The explosive went off at about chest level of the alien and knocked it back. The Hunters burst out of the buildings at the roar of pain from the elite and Kelly could hear the pair around back running down the street to find the enemy.

Kelly took off down the street at a sprint slow enough that the Hunters around back would catch sight of her before she ran down the street. Kelly made sure to run just slow enough that the hunters would be able to follow. If she went too fast she'd lose them and they'd simply go back to destroying everything, possibly even head back toward the Spartans.

Kelly changed streets often, sometimes slowing so the Hunters wouldn't realize the chase was pointless and they'd never catch up. She turned down an ally and skidded to a halt as she found the other end blocked. She turned to head back but found that it had been blocked as well. Kelly looked between the two Hunters, trying to think of an escape. The first Hunter moved, starting to charge. Kelly looked back to the second and saw that it was charging as well. It was obvious they intended to crush her between their shields. Kelly quickly figured where they would collide and moved to the location. She crouched and waited until they'd almost reached her. She jumped with only inches to spare, her foot landing on the head of one of the Hunters. The swift Spartan jumped over the Hunter's back, hitting the ground and rolling to her feet in one fluid movement.

Kelly took off down the alley before the Hunter could turn and pursue her. She came out into the street and stopped to get her bearings. It was a mistake as she realized there was a group of four Hunters at one end of the street with guns charged. She didn't have the time to think before they fired. Kelly just barely moved out of the way of the actual plasma but the road under her broke and she lost her footing. Kelly hit the ground and skidded to a stop on the hard pavement.

There was a thud nearby and she looked over to see a Hunter raising its shield to strike. She caught a blur of green and the flash of a reflective visor. The Spartan shoved its hand up into the Hunter and quickly pulled it out. The Hunter tried to swing its shield at the new enemy but the Spartan rolled out of the way, back behind the Hunter and turned away from the enemy.

The Hunter had just turned to attack John when the grenade he'd put inside went off. The orange eels were shredded by the force and bits of broken armor scattered across the road. John got to his feet and Kelly scrambled back up as well. She dashed forward, hearing the familiar warming up of plasma behind her. She tackled John to the side and felt the heat was over her as the Hunters fired where John had been. Heat washed over her body and she felt her feet and legs burn a bit as her suit couldn't adjust quick enough to the sudden heat.

Kelly forced herself to her feet and helped John get up quickly. They took off down the street away from the Hunters. Kelly slowed herself to John's pace to insure she didn't leave him behind. There were two bangs and rocket soared past them, straight for the Hunters. Kelly didn't look back to be sure they hit, just kept running. She followed John as he turned a corner and they reached a partially broken warthog outfitted to carry troops, Fred at the wheel and Linda in the shotgun seat. John jumped into the back and Kelly followed him. She turned back and spotted will holding a hand out to him. He took her hand and climbed in with them.

"Go!" John barked and Fred hit the gas. The warthog sped off, bouncing over the landscape. When they were a distance away John hit the radio. "We're clear." Kelly watched as Longswords streaked overhead and the city erupted into fire. Kelly relaxed in the back of the warthog and put her feet up a bit to take the pressure off the skin. "Are you all right?"

Kelly considered not answering but remembered she'd agreed to not hide injuries from him. "Slight burns to the back of my legs and my feet. Nothing worse than the burn of food that's too hot."

"Is that how bad it is or how it feels?" Kelly didn't know how to answer the question so she didn't.

The Spartans were evacuated from the planet after two of the UNSC ships had been destroyed and the remaining two were only barely able to limp away from the remaining Covenant ship before more showed up.

Kelly had been a bit wrong about her injuries. Her feet were only second degree burns but she had a bit of third degree burns on her legs. She sat on her cot, feet having been healed mostly by the ship's medical bay. They were still a bit tender to walking so she'd decided to give them a break. The pain didn't really bother her at all but it was an excuse to relax for just a moment.

Kelly sat up as John entered the room but he put up a hand to stop her from doing more. "How are the feet?" he asked as he sat down at the foot of her cot.

"They're fine, just staying off them for a little while. So where's everyone else. Kelly lay back down and put her hands behind her head.

"Linda and Fred are already in cryo and Will is preparing for cryo." John reached out and his fingers lightly brushed over the side of her foot. Kelly laughed and moved her foot a bit away. "Oh, so you're still ticklish?"

"Stop it John, it's not funny." Kelly pulled her feet a bit more away from him until he stopped. "So how long until you go into cryo?"

"How long until your feet heal?" Kelly raised an eyebrow and John smiled a bit. He shifted a bit and held his hands out. "Give me your feet."

Kelly shook her head. "No, I don't want you to tickle them." She tucked her feet up toward her body to keep them out of his reach.

"I don't want to tickle them. I want to give you one of my foot massages." John held his hands out again and Kelly stuck her feet out. She was willing to take the risk of him lying if there was a chance at one of his amazing foot massages.


	24. Tired

John was crouched, waiting behind a large rock. He checked over his assault rifle to be sure it was ready for anything that might attack them. He didn't have margin for error in a combat situation so he had to be sure that nothing got screwed up or it might cost him his life. He looked across the pathway to Fred, crouched beside the second rock. He could see that there were cracks along the shoulder armor of Fred's Mark IV armor and he made a note to remind the man to get it fixed.

A blur of green and black passed them and John readied his rifle. The Grunts ran past, not at all aware of the two Spartans. As soon as they had passed Fred and John opened fire on the five-foot-tall aliens. The armor piercing rounds tore through the small aliens and they fell to the ground, torn apart by the bullets. John swept the area and saw nothing left alive. He lowered his rifle and looked back at the fallen aliens.

"It's like there's no end to these things." Fred kicked one of the torn up bodies near him. "You would think at some point they'd run out of the little guys or they'd get tired of just being used to drain our ammunition."

"They likely have a high birth rate." John looked over as Kelly rejoined them. She'd been playing rabbit for a while, leading packs of grunts and elites toward them so they could ambush them. Usually he wouldn't have taken part in this sort of tactics, but he only had five soldiers with him, and right now one of them was very injured and the other two were watching a group of marines. The rest of the Spartans had been separated and John had lost contact with Red and Green team.

They were doing everything they could to force the Covenant from the planet, but he wasn't sure how much they could really do. Eventually the ships above would call them back, or they'd be glassed along with the planet. He was still trying to figure out what their next move should be when Kelly spoke to him.

"Are you even listening to us?" Kelly put her hands on her hips and John turned his attention to the quick Spartan. He decided he must be tired as for a second the thought of how nice it would be to just lie down with Kelly and sleep for a week crossed his mind. It was forced away just as quickly as it arrived but it made John aware of how long they had been at this. The Spartans had been running these attacks for three days straight, all in hope that Red or Green team would show up.

"We need to go back to the others. All of us need a bit of rest and we need to decide on a way to find the other teams. For now there's no way we can strike at any major forces without full strength." John turned and started to walk back toward where the marines and the rest of his team were waiting. They walked in silence, at least John thought it was silence. He glanced back to be sure that Kelly and Fred were following and frowned as he noticed the small signs that they were talking to each other. He wondered why they were leaving him out of the discussion.

They reached the rest of the soldiers and John nodded to James who was on guard. The Master Chief moved into the small structure that had been quickly patched up. At one time it might have been a small outpost, maybe a ranger station or something, but not anymore. Whoever had been here was long gone and the Covenant had only hit it to be sure. Luckily it was still rather strong so it made a good hiding place.

John sat down on one of the crates in the back room. He leaned back against the wall. He should try to get some sleep, but he couldn't. Although he was tired he needed to think. He had to come up with a way to find the rest of the Spartans, and try to beat back the Covenant. His attention was pulled from the fight as Kelly walked in, moving toward him. He watched her as she sat down and leaned against him, resting her head on his shoulder. John rest his own helmet against hers, moving his arm so it was resting against hers.

John brought up her bio-indicators on his HUD and watched as the line rose and fell sharply with each beat of her heart. He remembered old days when, after a hard day of exercises that left him exhausted, Kelly would let him lean against her and he would just listen to the sound of her heart. A calm and soothing rhythm that slowly lulled him to sleep. He listened to the beeps as the monitor continued to track her heart. His eyes closed as he replaced each of those beats with what he remembered her heart sounding like. He listened to the sound until finally he drifted to sleep.


	25. Draco III

John removed the last of his clothing, putting it away in his locker before he grabbed his towel. He didn't like being out of his armor, particularly after everything that had happened on their last mission. He felt like he needed a barrier, something to protect him from the world around him. He remembered the civilians being rounded up, the jackals and grunts descending, and the remains that they'd found. John hated to think of those people. Of the horrors they went through. He tried to just push the thoughts away.

He instead focused on what was around him. He could hear the water already running so he wouldn't be alone in the showers. He wasn't sure if that was good or bad. He didn't know if he was all that interested in being alone at the moment. He moved around the wall that separated the lockers from the showers and frowned at the person standing under the water. She was just standing there, staring at the wall before her.

John moved over to the woman, his hand hesitantly rising. He wasn't sure how aware she was or how she'd react. His hand finally settled on her shoulder and John tried to move back. He was nowhere near as fast as her and her elbow caught him in the side. He flinched as she hit where he was already bruised his hand moved to his side as he stepped back, out of her reach.

Her looked turned from one of anger to surprise. "I'm sorry, John." She took a step toward him, hand lightly resting on his side. "I didn't hurt you, did I?"

John shook his head. "You just elbowed a large bruise. Nothing major." Kelly smiled a bit and he was glad. He didn't joke much, but she could tell when he was trying to be less serious. "Are you all right? You were just standing there. You didn't hit your head or anything on that last mission?"

Kelly shook her head, eyes turning away from him. "I was just thinking. I guess I got lost in my thoughts." She refused to look at him and John knew that she was hiding something from him.

"You want to tell me what you were thinking about?" John moved his hand so that it was on hers. A slight gesture that would indicate to her that he was here for her. At least he hoped that was how she would take it.

Kelly took another step toward him, leaning a bit forward to place her cheek against his chest. John's arms moved around her. He'd never enjoyed the feel of her skin so much. He needed her comfort, something to distract him from the still fresh memories of the civilians. He focused fully on the way that she felt in his arms, allowing his mind to find some peace for a moment. Until Kelly spoke.

"I was thinking about the people on the planet." John held Kelly a bit tighter as she spoke. He didn't want to think about that, but if she wanted to talk about it, he wouldn't turn her away because of his discomfort. "I wish we could have done something. We should have been down there, trying to save them, not watching from orbit."

John had had the same feelings when they'd found the civilians. "There wasn't anything we could have done. The only thing we could have done was been there in time to watch them pick at the last of the bones before moving on. There wasn't enough time." John held her tighter, trying to reinforce those words in his own mind. "We did what we could, what we were ordered to do.

Kelly closed her eyes and John felt her hands ball into fists against his chest. "How many times? How many times will we have to find civilians like that? How many times will we be too late to do anything to save the innocent?"

"More times than either of us will like." John closed his own eyes, focusing as much as he could on the woman in his arms to keep his mind from traveling back to those memories. He knew in time they would fade and he'd deal with them, but right now they were still so fresh. "Still, there will be those times where people can be saved. We have to focus on those times."

Kelly moved her arms up so they were around John's neck, rising up a bit to place a light kiss on John's jaw. "All right, I'll try to keep my mind off of it." John felt one of her hands move up his neck a bit to the edge of his hairline. "Well you've made me feel a bit better. Is there anything I can do to make you feel better?"

John's first instinct was to tell her that he was fine, but he stopped himself. He knew she'd know better, know he was bothered. "You can help me in the way only you can." John closed the space between them. Time with Kelly wouldn't erase the memory, but it would give him something good to focus on and block out the bad.


	26. Talk Dirty

Kelly frowned at Linda. She'd gotten used to the other woman's teasing so she didn't really let it bother her any more. She didn't really care what sort of innuendos Linda made about her and John, she remained stern in her denial of it all. Good thing Linda had no way of knowing how right she was.

Kelly watched as Linda left the gym allowing her to focus fully on her workout. She turned her attention back to the speed back that she was using. It was difficult as the speed of the bag meant she had to slow herself in order to use it properly. Sometimes she wished the world could just be as fast as she was.

She froze and turned around when she felt a presence. She was surprised to find John standing behind her. He was standing a bit stiffer than usual and she could only identify it as nervous, which was something that always seemed odd for John. "I'd like to smack that."

Kelly glanced back to the speed bag and then moved out of the way. "Sure, though that's not how this equipment is supposed to be properly used."

John shook his head. "No, that's not what I mean." Kelly raised an eyebrow as a slight tint of red appeared on his cheek. Most people wouldn't notice it but with her better vision and knowing John well enough it was like he'd turned beet red to her.

"Well then what do you mean?" Kelly crossed her arms, sort of enjoying the way John was nervous. It was fun to see something he was embarrassed about. Not to mention whatever it was he didn't have his normal confidence, it usually meant he wasn't super great at it. There were very few things he wasn't skilled at and it was nice seeing that even the great Master Chief wasn't perfect.

John took a deep breath and spoke again. "I'd like to go motor boating." Kelly frowned, not understanding what he meant. "I'd like to…" John glanced down at his hand and then back up to Kelly. "I'd like to grope your…fun bags." Kelly frowned getting the picture now. John didn't notice as he continued, continuing to check his hand. "I'd like to…tap that…until you can't walk straight." He looked down at his hand and his blush deepened. "I'd…I'd like to..." He was now staring at the ground, very uncomfortable.

"John, you can stop." Kelly smiled softly and John looked rather defeated. "I get what you're point was, although not quite delivered properly."

"I'm not any good at this." John's shoulders slumped as he spoke. "I did try, I just don't know how comfortable I really feel about doing this."

"Well you did a few things wrong. First, you did it in a rather public place. It's better if you do it in a private place. Second, you used slang. And I don't mean like the normal dirty slang, I mean like the slang that teenagers and frat boys use. That's not sexy. The only other thing you did wrong was the delivery." Kelly moved a bit closer to him, hands moving over his shoulders slowly. Her lips touched his and he wrapped his arms around her as they kissed. She pulled away from his mouth but still held herself close. "I love the way you taste," she purred to him.

John moved his mouth down to Kelly's neck and his hands started to explore more of her body. Kelly's hand moved up to her hair and starched a bit at his scalp. They continued these actions for a while, until Kelly pushed him a bit away. John looked at her surprised, but waiting. He'd learned that if he was patient Kelly would always explain things.

"I found an officer's quarters that are vacant that we can use. Room Bravo-5. Wait five minutes. That will give me enough time to break in. Then I can give you a proper lesson in talking dirty." Kelly smirked and turned around and sauntered out of the room.


	27. Sigma

John made his way from the medical bay. He'd gone to check up on James after their recent mission to see if he'd make it. The medics said that he would live, and they planned on replacing the part of his arm that had been blasted away. John was glad to know that his teammate would be all right, but the image of those monstrous Covenant was burned in his mind. They were like walking tanks and just the memory of them made him feel vulnerable as he walked through the hallways without his armor.

He didn't really understand why they'd taken his armor at all. The tech had something about cleaning it, something about it smelling bad. Whatever it was he couldn't smell it, but then again he'd spent so much time in the suit and it had an air filtration system. Maybe walking through the sewers had made their armor dirty and he hadn't been able to smell it through the system. It would explain why the techs seemed to be holding their breaths while they'd removed his armor.

He moved toward the locker rooms, determined to take a shower. He stopped as soon as he walked in, surprised to find someone else there. All the other Spartans should be done with washing up since he'd taken longer because he'd gone to see James. Even odder, it was Kelly. She was usually the first one to get things done, even showering.

She turned toward him as he entered the room. "Hey John, what took you so long?" She was just putting her shirt in her locker and was removing the simple black sports bra.

"I stopped to see James." Kelly stopped and looked to him, her eyes hopeful as she waited for him to report on their teammate's status. John moved to his locker and opened it. "The medics say that he'll make a full recovery." John could hear Kelly let out a breath. He removed his shirt and put it into the locker.

"I'm glad to know that he's all right." John looked to Kelly as she spoke. She removed her bra and put it into the locker. John didn't try to hide the fact that he took a good look at her chest before he returned to undressing. "So what do you think of those things?"

John undid his belt, but froze as she mentioned the new alien they'd met. His mind went to work tactically. "We'll have to have a rocket launcher with each team, in case they show up." He slid the belt from his waist.

"I don't know if that will be enough." John looked over and realized that Kelly was already removing her pants. "I don't think we even killed those ones that were in that museum." She frowned and was staring into her locker.

"We'll have to find out. It's the best chance that we have but we'll have to beat them if we come up against them again." John reached over and his hand lightly touched Kelly's arm, pulling her out of her distant stare. She looked to him and he frowned at the worry he saw on her face. It was small things, the ever so slight frown on her face, the hint of it in her eyes, signs that he'd learned to read so well. "So you know why I was slow to the showers. What about you? You're usually the first one here."

Kelly frowned and huffed. "Medics kept me back to do some extra tests. Wanted to make sure the blast didn't affect me. They wouldn't accept that I was fast enough to get away before the blast hit and wasn't affected."

John's hand moved slightly on Kelly's arm and she looked toward him, slightly leaning toward the touch. "I'm glad that you're fast. It was a close call today." He didn't want to admit that she'd scared him when the blast had hit and in the fraction of a second that it took for him to realize she'd made it out of the way he'd felt panic. He hated to admit it, because he believed that they should give up anything to complete a mission, but he couldn't help the fear he felt when Kelly was in danger.

Kelly smiled and turned toward him. He was surprised when her skin moved away from his hand but he realized she was just removing the last bit of clothing before she stood up again. "You know I'm always fast. You really shouldn't worry so much. Not to mention I always bounce back."

John found himself a bit annoyed at how she brushed it off. It scared him but she seemed to think nothing of it. Then again he'd seen her be more injured than any other member of his team and act like it was more than a minor wound. His hand reached out, running over a scar on her shoulder. "What happens if you don't bounce back?" The smile fell slightly from her face. "How would I go on if you're not there?"

Kelly looked toward his hand and frowned. "You'd find a way, I know you would." Her hand reached up and settled on his cheek. "You're strong, and you always find a way to continue on. If I weren't there you'd be all right." The smile returned to her face. "Though if I have anything to say about it we won't have to find out how you'll continue on."

John looked down as he felt her hand tugging his waist. Her second hand moved to join the other as it undid his pants and pulled them down. John frowned and looked to her, confused. "What are you doing?" He froze as her hands moved to the waist of his underwear.

Kelly smirked, her fingers gripping the waistband of the clothing. "Well you were never going to get around to it." With one big tug she pulled his underwear down and let it fall to the ground. She took a step forward, putting a foot on the fallen clothing.

John moved, stepping out of the clothing. He pulled her against him and held her tight. "I don't want to have to face that. I'd rather face a battalion of those things we saw today rather than find out how I'd survive." Kelly set her cheek against his chest and his arms moved around her waist. He held her against him, feeling her warmth spread through him.

Kelly's back was pressed up against the lockers and John pressed his lips against hers. Kelly clung to him, eagerly returning the kiss. Kelly broke them apart first, leaning forward to nip at his ear. "We should really get to the showers." She slipped out of his arms before moving toward the showers. She stopped just as she reached the area that was blocked off by a privacy wall. She smiled back at him before she walked to the showers.

John watched her go, a bit disappointed that she had rejected his advances. He then realized that they would have the showers all to themselves and hurried to follow after her.


	28. Protect

Kelly moved down the halls of the cruiser, fighting the urge to scratch at the new wound on her side. The medics had seen it but the skin still itched to an annoying degree. The Spartans had been defending a bunker where half a dozen soldiers were taking cover, too injured to fight. During the fight Kelly had taken a needled round to the side and the resulting explosion from the projectile left a gaping hole in her side. She was just glad that there hadn't been any organ damage. Though John had been as annoyed as he could be when he found out she'd sort of bid the wound from him until the end of the fight.

Kelly stepped into the gym and sighed as she found him exactly where she had expected. He was in the heavy gravity part of the gym, lifting weights. Kelly stood back and just watched him, appreciating the way his muscles moved with each motion. He didn't even seem to notice her when she walked over to stand behind him. She moved to stand behind him and her hand went to his shoulders, smiling as she felt him tense when he noticed the touch, aware that it had felt like a slow reaction to her. He turned and looked up to her, his face mostly blank except for the ever so slight downward tug of his lips in concern. She knew he was concerned, paired with the internal damage and slight burns from earlier in the mission she had been in bad shape when they'd come back to the ship. Or at least it was bad shape as far as John was concerned. Kelly knew she could keep fighting but, due to past missions with unreported injuries, John seemed to be more cautious about her being injured.

John stood and placed the weights on the rack before he turned to her. "What else were you keeping from me?" He moved over to sit down, his hand settling on her recently healed side. Kelly frowned at him, resenting him implying that she'd kept the wounds from him on purpose. Hey had been in combat and she always informed him or injuries after a fight.

Kelly's hand moved to his wrist and forced his hand down from her side, letting hints to her annoyance show. "Nothing," she asserted. John looked up at her, a bit of confusion and hurt evident to Kelly. "I didn't keep anything from you. You noticed my wounds before I was sure it was clear and assumed I was trying to hide them. Not that I can hide a hole in my side." John didn't reply, his eyes falling to the injured side, as though still able to see the wound. "Stop that."

"How many were from you protecting my back?" John asked. Kelly scowled at him and his comment. John reached out toward her but stopped just short, remembering her forcing his hand down. "I'm supposed to protect you."

Kelly sighed and reached down, pulling his outstretched hand to touch her side. "We're teammates, John, were supposed to protect each other, and we did." Kelly let her hand rest on his on her side. "That's what being a teammate means."

"Yes, teammates are supposed to protect each other, and if you were Fred or Linda I could agree that you're correct, but you aren't." John stood and moved over to another weight machine. Kelly followed him, not understanding what he meant. "You are my teammate, so we protect each other, but that's not all." He sat down and checked the weight. When he was sure it was set right he moved into proper position, straddling the seat and looking up at her. He must have seen her confusion as he continued his thought. "You're more to me than a teammate, someone I have to protect. Friends and teammates have to protect each other, but you, I have to protect. No each other, I just have to protect you."

Kelly understood what he was talking about. Their relationship did set them aside from the other Spartans as they were more than just friends or teammates. Kelly didn't really have room to judge him. She protected his back as her friend but she paid more attention to protecting him than any other Spartan because of her love for him. She wanted to tell him that she could protect herself but she didn't want to start a fight and she wouldn't have strong ground to stand on in an argument. John moved back on the seat and grabbed the bar to pull down. Kelly moved forward, grabbing the bar to hold it in place. "Stop." John frowned and pulled the bar down. Kelly was t really able to stop him with her position, not that he couldn't beat her in a competition of strength anyway. The motion left her bent over, her forehead almost touching his.

John looked up at her but froze in his actions, keeping her bent down toward her. "Why?" was all he asked.

Kelly could feel the tension in the air, not so much hostile but very serious. She decided maybe she'd try to lighten the mood a bit. "Although I enjoy the show I wouldn't want you to get too bulky." John either didn't get that it was a joke or if he wasn't in the humor mood but he seemed just as tense. "John, you can flip a tank with relative ease, you don't need to work out like this."

John let the bar rise and released it, moving her hands to her waist. Kelly let herself lean on his hands and stood up. She set her knee on the seat and sat down on her leg. John's hands remained on her waist as he stared up at her. She could feel that there was something bothering him, but he had to take his own time to voice it. Kelly had learned long ago that if John was going to say something she had to be patient and wait for him to be ready. "I just want to be stronger," he finally said. "If I can be stronger I hope I can protect the one thing I can't live without."

Kelly knew that she should tell him not to talk like that. That they couldn't feel that way about each other but she kept her silence. She could see the signs that he was too pride to just admit that he needed comfort. He always tried to be the strong Spartan leader, but she knew him well enough to see when he was in need. Her hands moved to his shoulder and she smiled at him as her hands moved up his shoulders to his neck. John leaned his head forward, forehead resting on her sternum. Kelly placed her hands on the back of his head as she hugged him to her chest. She placed her chin on his head and felt his hands move up to her shoulders.

"You passed out three times on the pelican ride back," John informed her. Kelly remained silent, not having been aware of that information. She didn't remember it so she couldn't refute the claim but she didn't really want to acknowledge it.

Kelly sighed as she felt his hands slide down her back, tired. Kelly lifted her head and he lifted his head to look up at her. "I'm going to go take a shower," she stated. John nodded, accepting her decision. Kelly stood up and smiled down at him. "And you're going to join me," she informed him. John smiled a bit and stood up, following Kelly as she walked toward the showers.


	29. Blue Two

John sat on his cot, reading over the battle toll of the last mission. He wasn't happy with it but at least some civilians had survived. The fighting had gone on for almost a week and the numbers on his data pad confirmed that it had been a hard fight. They'd lost four ships, thousands of soldiers, and another planet. As this war dragged on it felt like they were running out if both.

John's gaze lifted from the pad as another Spartan entered the room. Graceful steps, the way her arm movement was exact so it was the same with each step, and how her fingers were parted just right to be ready for any action they might need to take. All of it made it clear to John it was Kelly inside the armor, though something was wrong. If her visor had been up or her helmet off he knew he'd be able to see the slight down turn of the corners of her mouth or the ever so slight furrow of her brow. Without being able to see her face he had to guess by the way her steps were quick and although most people wouldn't notice but her steps were lazy. Usually her steps were lively, but it looked like she was barely lifting her feet.

Kelly sat down on his cot behind him so their backs were facing. John braced for her weight to fall back against him like always but it didn't come. John could only guess this meant he was in some way at fault for whatever was annoying her. He waited for her to say something as she was never one to hesitate to tell him when he'd done something wrong. She was the only Spartan who would question him or be forward with him at all times. She showed restraint when others were around, but at a moment like this when it was just the two of them she always spoke freely. Either he was wrong about being a part of the annoyance or whatever it was had her more upset than usual.

John stared at the screen though he wasn't reading the words anymore. His mind was fully occupied by the behavior of the woman behind him. Whenever they sat like this she always leaned against him, the only form of physical contact they could manage in their armor without drawing suspicion from anyone that entered the room. The only logical conclusion to her passing up the chance to have contact with him was if she was mad at him but it didn't match with her silence.

He ran through his options in his head. He could ignore her but that didn't feel right. She'd likely been more annoyed later that he didn't confront the issue while they were free to talk, before the long cryo sleep. That and although he'd deny it officially he liked her leaning against him. He'd decided to go with his third option and the most forward approach. "What did I do?"

Kelly didn't answer right away. John worried she was going mute on him. What had the marine called it? The silent treatment. The soldiers had all complained about it and had said it was a weapon all angry women used. Did it mean Kelly was mad? How did he get her to talk to him again? He was sure she'd talk to him in combat, but would she remain silent outside of it? None of the soldiers had ever stated how long it usually lasted.

"Why am I always Blue Two?" John relaxed as she spoke. He didn't even focus on the question at first, just glad to know she was talking to him.

John turned his mind to the actual question. It seemed like a ridiculous question to him. "Because you're my second-in-command. The person I trust watching my back."

Kelly groaned and he could imagine her eyes rolling at how cheesy she found his response. "I mean why am I never Red Leader or Green Leader? Both Fred and Linda are a part of Blue team usually but at times you put them in charge of the other teams."

"Fred and Linda have proven that they are capable leaders. I haven't seen any evidence that you are the same level of leadership and we can't risk trying something like that out while in the middle of a war." As soon as the words left his mouth John regretted them. He had spoken without thinking, without realizing how Kelly would take his words as an insult. He'd basically just told her that he didn't think she was capable of leading.

"Maybe you'd know if I could lead if you ever put me on another team," Kelly snapped. If she wasn't angry at him before she certainly was now. If Fred had said that to her she would have been annoyed but because it was him she was angry. He knew his words meant more to her than any other Spartan and he regretted that he hadn't used those words properly.

John did have to admit she was right. He never put her on any other team, always keeping her close. He'd never really given her the chance to lead. "If you really want it I can put you in charge of another team on the next mission."

There was silence and John wondered what his teammate was thinking. He didn't understand what had brought up this line of questions at all. Why did Kelly suddenly care that she'd never led a team? It was probably some comment made by Linda. Her comments always seemed to cause these sort of confusing conversations.

John heard the helmet release and fall to the cot across from Kelly. "I don't want to be in charge of a team just because I guilt you into it," Kelly muttered.

John paused, deciding on his next move. He set his datapad on his pillow and removed his helmet, placing it beside the datapad. John shifted on the cot so he could look at her. "What do you want?"

Kelly leaned back a bit, placing a hand on the cot and putting her weight on one arm. It annoyed John that she'd rather do that than lean against him. "I want to know why you never put me on any team but yours. Even when Sam was alive I was always on your team."

John flinched at the mention of Sam. It still hurt at times to think of his fallen friend. John pushed that discomfort to the back of his mind. He leaned over, placing his hand on Kelly's hand that was on the cot. He chose his words carefully, realizing that he didn't want another slipup. "Kelly, the thought of putting you in charge of a team has never crossed my mind." Kelly frowned but John cut her off from saying anything. "The thought of putting you on another team has never even crossed my mind. Any time that I'm deciding who will lead what team my first thought is always that you are on my team. Anything else would feel wrong, like no matter what the plan that it would fail without you beside me. I need you watching my back."

Kelly glanced down toward John's hand on hers. She sighed and leaned her shoulder against his. "All right, I've got your back." She smirked and tilted her head to the side. "If I weren't you'd probably get yourself killed."

A smile eased its way onto John's face. "I probably would." He hesitated for a second before leaning toward her, lips touching hers for just a second. "Thanks for keeping me alive." John paused for a second before continuing. "If you want I can make you Green One in the next mission."

Kelly laughed and shook her head. "John, I was never complaining about not being in a leadership position, I just wanted to know why." Kelly's free hand moved up to John's neck and she pulled him a bit closer. "I think we've wasted enough time on talk." With that she pulled him fully to her.


	30. Last Time

John stared up at the ceiling of the private quarters that he was 'borrowing' to get some peace and quiet. His mind was filled with thoughts of the mission they'd recently been given. Red Flag as it had been called. There was just so much information that was only guess work and a lot they didn't know. John did like it at all. There was so much he'd have to decide as he went along and that would lead to snags. He couldn't even start to make anything other than lose plans until they had a disabled Covenant ship.

He closed his eyes, hoping to clear his mind. He focused on the breaths that spread over his neck each time his bedmate would exhale. It didn't work, only making his thoughts turn to how he and the woman had lower odds of surviving this mission than any Spartan mission before. He hugged her a bit tighter, only loosening his grip when she stirred a bit. He wanted to allow her some peaceful sleep, maybe the last they'd ever get for all he knew. If he could only manage some sleep.

John's hand moved over her back, fingers tracing the line of her spine. It was just one more attempt to turn his thoughts to nicer, more peaceful things. The action disturbed the sleeping woman enough that even when he stopped as she stretched and her eyes opened.

Her clear blue eyes examined him as she pulled herself up a bit. Her lips touched his and he didn't hesitate to return it. For all he knew each kiss could be the last and he wasn't going to let a single chance pass him by. Kelly pulled back frowning a bit at him. Had he been too eager for the contact, given away his concerns?

"You need to sleep, John." Kelly shifted off of him to lie on the bed beside him. John moved to hold himself partially over her, leaning down to place a kiss on her jaw. "I'm serious."

John ignored her, moving to pin her hips down with the weight of his body. He lowered his head to kiss lightly at her neck, waiting for any sign that she was willing. He wasn't expecting it as her hand moved to his hair but instead of pulling him closer she pulled his head away from her. John didn't know quite what to do. Kelly had never rejected his advances before.

Her eyes showed that she was concerned even before she spoke. "What's wrong?" John cursed himself. He never should have made the first move but he didn't want to risk that she wouldn't make a move. He should have known she would be tipped off to his fears as he was never the one to initiate any sort of affection that might lead to intercourse. It was an odd enough action that she'd realized the truth right away.

John wasn't sure what to tell her. He wasn't sure in confiding in her about his fears would lessen her own resolve on their mission. He decided to go with the half-truth. "I'm just thinking that it will be a long time until you and I can be like this again. For the mission we'll be in our armor all the time." He shifted his weight so he could lift one of his hands, gently running the back of his fingers against her upper arm. "We have no idea how long this mission might last."

Kelly frowned at him and the way her brow furrowed indicated she was annoyed. "I wish you'd stop trying to lie to me."

John sighed to himself. He should have known better than to try to lie at all to Kelly. She read him too well and there was no way he could keep something this big from her. "I'm worried about all the missing information and the holes in information make me wonder if we'll even come back alive."

One of Kelly's hands moved up to his cheek, gently running over his skin. "That's what's keeping you awake?" John nodded. "Well it's a reasonable worry. There's so much that we don't know and it's reasonable for you, as our squad leader, to be worried about all the problems that might cause."

John's hand moved up to gently hold the hand Kelly had put on his cheek. He moved it to his lips where he placed a light kiss on the palm of her hand. "I'm worried about the safety of my team. You are all going to be trusting me to insure that the mission is a success and you get out alive."

"John, you need to relax. You're worrying far too early. Wait until we get on the ship to start worrying." Kelly smirked at him. "Besides, I have complete faith that even without planning you'll see us through. You're you and we're Spartans. Those Prophet things better start quacking in their boots because we're coming for them. If they ware boots that is."

John couldn't help the smile that tugged at his lips. Kelly was always confident, sure that the Spartans would win. It was what made her moments of doubt more shaking to John but moments like this also helped him reassure himself that they could win. Kelly believed in him which was all he usually needed. He wasn't sure if it would be enough this time. There was a lot riding on this mission. The lives of Spartans he hadn't even seen let lone commanded for years.

"You still need to sleep, John." Kelly's free hand moved to his neck pulling him down so his head could rest on her shoulder. "You can't think properly if you're tired."

John let his full weight settle on her and he tried to relax. One of his arms wrapped around her torso and the other snaked up under her shirt. Still the warmth and affection as she ran a hand over his back weren't enough to lull him to sleep. He just kept thinking of how this could be the last time, last chance. He pulled himself up a bit and his mouth moved to her neck. His hand moved higher up her shirt as he once more tried to indicate his willingness.

Kelly's hand once more moved to his head but this time she didn't pull him away. Her fingers slid into his hair, letting him do what he wanted. "I thought I told you to get some sleep."

John shifted his body to line up more with hers. If she didn't push him away now then he'd assume she was agreeing to his advances. Not that he wouldn't stop at a moment's notice if she told him to. "I can sleep after," he grumbled, not wanting to move to far from her skin.

Kelly's hand gripped his hair and her let out a grunt if frustration as she pulled him a bit back from her neck. "Only if you promise to get some sleep after."

"I promise," John replied. Kelly released her grip on his hair and he eagerly claimed her lips. He couldn't fully put his concerns to rest but the least he could do was face the upcoming mission with no regrets.


	31. New Equipment

John walked down the hallway, making his way toward the gym. He'd just come from the Spartan barracks where he'd shown the armor to most of the Spartans that had been there but he'd been told that some were in the gym training. They'd all been prepping themselves for the upcoming difficult mission. John still wasn't comfortable with the lack of information but with his new armor and with a smart AI to help them it seemed like they might have better chances.

"I think so far things are going well." The AI, Cortana, wasn't actually in his armor at the moment but she had tapped into his suit's systems to communicate with him. John had been introducing her to the Spartans to make them more comfortable around her. "Over all they seem to like me."

"It's important that they feel comfortable." John wanted to be sure that they could trust the AI to do her job. They'd never needed a smart AI to do anything for them so it would be a new adjustment for his soldiers. "The ones I'm heading to are the most important. Blue Team."

"I am looking forward to meeting your inner circle. As long as it doesn't turn out you're all werewolves," Cortana joked.

"Werewolves aren't real," John stated. He didn't know what she was talking about. Spartans may be legends but they weren't mythical creatures. "They're my most trusted teammates and the people I trust the most. It's most important that they can trust you." All Spartans in some way looked to Blue Team and John would be relying on his team the most during the upcoming mission.

"It was a joke, master Chief. You should learn how to relax," Cortana commented lightly. John kept his silence, knowing that how he relaxed wasn't particularly something he wanted to share with the AI. They were simple meals sitting with his team, reaching a planet that wasn't under attack by the Covenant, or one of the rare moments he got with Kelly. Those were when he was relaxed, but he didn't think and AI would understand how that was relaxing. "My, you really do think a lot." There wasn't even a pause before Cortana moved on to her next thought. It was something inhuman, how quickly her attention shifted but she acted like it was nothing. "It is very interesting to watch them. It seems that Spartan zero-five-eight is a part of the team but at the same time not. I'm not surprised though that Spartan one-zero-four is beating Spartan Zero-eight-seven in their sparring match. His records show him as being very skilled in hand-to-hand combat."

"Fred is only doing well because Kelly's letting him." John knew his Blue Two well enough to know she was not only slowing herself but probably letting Fred get in hits from time to time.

"So you say but they both seem quite focused on the fight but Spartan one-zero-four Is quite clearly doing better. He is clearly on the offensive and leaving no openings," Cortana informed him. John didn't argue, knowing that she couldn't know the truth of the situation as she didn't know Kelly or Fred. Though that wasn't her concern, it was his and he knew his team well.

The door to the gym opened and John looked across the room to where Fred was sparing with Kelly. Kelly was batting away every strike but John could see openings that Kelly could easily exploit at full speed but as she slowed herself down for the match so she couldn't move fast enough to use them. Linda was sitting to the side, watching the fight with Will and Joshua sitting beside her. James was cleaning up the weight area but stopped when John entered. He looked the armor over and walked over. John met him half way and came to a stop so that James could look over the armor. The other man looked him over and John held out his arms a bit so that James could see the full extent of the new armor.

"You always get the best stuff first," Linda commented as she moved over toward John and James. The rest were following her across the gym to come over and examine the armor as well. "Just once I'd like to be given the newest gear first."

"Well if they make a new sniper rifle you'll be sure to get it first," Will joked as he reached John. He moved around the back to check out the power pack.

"The plates look bulkier. Do they restrict the movement at all?" Kelly asked. John knew that she hated just about anything that restricted her movements. She only put up with it when it was training equipment or it was him, but in combat it made her unhappy.

"The armor reacts well so you shouldn't have to worry about movement. I think it will even make you faster as it reacts and seems to multiply actions a bit more," John informed her.

"Cause what we need is for her to be faster," Fred smiled at Kelly. "I'm fairly certain that in the current armor you're about a mile away from making a tornado in your wake." Kelly smiled at the comment but didn't retort. "So have you tested it out? I'd like to know what it can do."

"I tested it right after they put it on. It moves easily, has some newer systems that I didn't get to fully explore but I think will be useful, and it's not that different from moving in the mark IV. Though it does have one big improvement." John moved his hand to run over his arm and the energy shield shimmered.

"Energy shields?" Will asked, a hint of excitement to his voice. "Like the Elites have?" John nodded and let his hands fall to his side. "Almost seems unfair to give us an advantage like that. The Covenant won't stand a chance."

After testing it out I think that it will give us an edge for Red Flag," John admitted. "We'll be far away from proper medical help so a shield between us and them might minimize injuries and I think it will open new strategic options." He'd thought about what new options he'd have in combat and the more he thought of the armor the more he liked it. Fred's strikes would be stronger, Linda would probably find a way to make the targeting system make her even more accurate, and no sniper would ever be able to get a beat on Kelly every again. It put his mind at ease at least a little."

"So you think that some armor is going to give us an advantage in a mission with no intel, against a mass of enemies that we have no idea how to predict, on enemy ships, and on the enemy home world? That's crazy," Kelly said as she set her hands on her hips. John didn't know what to say, and he couldn't really argue against her. It was sort of crazy to think that armor would turn the tide in a mission that had so much against them. "Unfortunately for the both of us I like crazy. Get me a set of that armor and let's take down a Covenant home world."

John couldn't help but smile, pleased by her enthusiasm. Though John was fairly sure that with or without the armor Kelly would support any optimism he showed. He made a note to be sure that she got her armor in the first group. "The armors not all we're going to have. I also met the tech expert that we'll be taking with us."

"How big of a snag is that going to cause?" Fred asked.

"It shouldn't cause any." John moved away from the group and to a terminal. The screen lit up and Cortana's avatar appeared. "This is our tech expert."

The Spartans gathered around the screen, curious. "Hello, it's nice to finally meet you all. My name is Cortana and I'll be helping you hack and control Covenant systems. I'm outfitted with all of the best UNSC programing for code breaking so I should be able to get into anything we come across."

"That's good, it means that we won't have to have a soldier out of combat to run a program to get into doors or into ships," Fred concluded. "That means one more soldier that can be fighting rather than a target, and it means we don't have a ONI tech that we'd have to have a soldier babysit."

"Maybe we do stand a bit more of a chance than we did the other day. Hopefully it will be enough," James commented. "How long until we all get a suit of armor like that?"

"As soon as you can get it," John answered. "I want everyone to get used to wearing the armor as quickly as possible. It's similar to the Mark IV but it's not exactly the same."

"Well then I'm done working out for the day. I'm going to see about getting myself a suit of that." James smiled and turned to move out of the gym.

"I have to say it seems impressive. Though I think I'll want to read up a bit on the specs before we go into combat. How much heat can it stand, how much pressure can it take, and what sort of support systems it has in it." Will seemed eager but understandably cautious about going into combat with a suit he knew nothing for sure about.

"I'll have to get a suit and see if I need to adjust for the targeting system," Linda announced. "I'll get on that right away, Master Chief. Wouldn't want my aim to be off when we're surrounded by enemies and you're counting on me." She smiled and turned to follow James out of the gym, Will following behind her.

"I think that maybe we do stand a bit of a chance," Fred admitted. "Well more of a chance, though it's still going to be a hard fight." He smiled slightly. "I don't envy you at a time like this. Though I should get a suit of that armor. Maybe you'll humor me again Kelly and let me helplessly try to hit you while you lower your speed to thirty percent of your actual reflexes."

"Well if this armor is so great maybe I'll have to lower it to ten percent so you can stand a chance," Kelly joked back. Fred smiled and looked to John. "I'll be ready for the fight when it comes." He nodded and moved out of the gym.

John looked to Kelly who was just staring at him. "You will have to adjust your movements for the increased reaction," John informed Kelly. She was the lone Spartan in the room with him now, though he was aware that Cortana was still there as well so he'd have to be careful of his words.

"It just looks so bulky. Are you sure that it won't get in the way of a full range of movement?" Kelly reached out but withdrew her hand when she touched the energy shield. "That feels odd."

"It can be turned off," John assured her. "Movement isn't constricted. Anything I can do outside of armor I can do in this armor."

"I can think of one thing you can't do while in armor." Kelly countered, smiling slightly. John knew what she was talking about but as he was aware Cortana was listening so he couldn't respond the way he wanted to. Kelly's smile fell a bit when he didn't flirt back as she was hoping and John felt bad about it. He'd have to find a time later when he could spend some private time with Kelly. "I'll be adjusted to the difference in no time, Chief." She turned and left the room, leaving John alone.

"I don't know if I made a good impression. They didn't seem to really talk to me enough to get to know me." Cortana sounded a bit disappointed.

"They didn't show any disapproval so they approve," John corrected. "None of them voiced any concerns about you being a part of the team, which his approval. They're more focused on the armor because that's what's separating us from injury. They know you'll do your job so they're focused on doing their job," John explained. "Trust me, there's no problem."

"Well they did seem nice enough." Cortana's image on the screen crossed her arms. "You and Kelly seem close."

John frowned, having hoped that the AI wouldn't have picked up on how familiar he and Kelly were with each other. "Kelly is my best friend. I've known her since the first day of training so we are close." He considered that maybe she was asking these questions just to judge his brain activity when faced with different subjects. He didn't like the idea that she would experiment on him. "I should go see that they all get their armor."

"I'll alert the techs that they should prepare the armor and check up on the other aspects of the mission," Cortana said. John nodded and moved toward the exit of the gym. He'd go and see that his soldiers got their armor and so he could get feedback on any of their concerns or questions.


	32. Ride

John moved through the collection of vehicles, looking over each one. The base had gotten in some of the new vehicles and he was inspecting them. The Mongoose had been made sleeker but they didn't matter much to John. He only ever used mongoose to pass a threat quickly and their redesign didn't affect that. The tanks had been improved, given better armor to deal with the plasma fire from the Covenant.

None of it would really do them any good on their upcoming mission. A tank wouldn't help them steal a ship but maybe one of those Sabre ships they'd been show would. John doubted as the Sabres needed a deal of training and weren't exactly finished. They'd been told they were here on Reach as defense in case the Covenant was stupid and decided that Reach was a planet to mess with. They made it clear that they weren't going anywhere. Besides, the ship they would be on wouldn't be able to handle the equipment.

John moved through the group of vehicles to the warthogs lined up to one side. He knew he was getting more looks in his new Mark V armor than the vehicles but he ignored them. As a Spartan he was used to getting unwanted attention from soldiers. John moved over to a Warhog that had been outfitted with a rocket pod on the back. He'd seen the configuration before but that one had been specially adapted, this one looked to be designed with the rocket-turret. John was sure that the soldiers could put good use to it but it was no use to him.

"Hey, look. Seems like a Spartans found himself a girlfriend," a soldier joked. John looked in the direction and spotted a familiar female Spartan standing beside a Gauss warthog. John scowled as he realized that his heartbeat had quickened a bit. He didn't know the cause of the reaction and it felt hopeless to try to figure it out. He decided it was best to just get control of himself and put it aside.

John pushed aside the feeling as he did with fear in combat and didn't give it another thought. He moved over to the Spartan and watched as his teammate ran a hand over the vehicle's hood. "Kelly."

She turned toward him and snapped to attention. "Sir."

"At ease." She relaxed and John looked to the warthog. "You know we won't have a use for warthogs on our mission. It would be a better option to steal vehicles from them to limit suspicion." John glanced toward the vehicle and then back to the Spartan. "Why, then, are you inspecting the warthogs?"

She looked toward the vehicle and her hand moved back to the hood. "I was just looking, thinking, sir."

John looked to the warthog. It wasn't anything special and he didn't know why she'd be thinking about one. "What were you thinking about, Kelly?" He made sure to use her name, letting her know his curiosity was more from friendship than as another soldier.

"I was thinking about all the good times we've had in a warthog." Kelly removed her hand and took a step toward John. "Come on, Chief. Take a girl for a ride." It was a nervous request. He would have labeled it pleading but it was hard to think of Kelly as begging or pleading. John's mind filled in the last part of the request, the three words that seemed to follow so many things in the recent weeks. It wasn't just a request for a ride in a warthog. It was a request for one last ride in a warthog, possibly ever.

John considered the request, figuring if he had the time. Like many things recently he decided to make time. "I can't take a girl for a ride, but I can take you." John moved around the warthog while Kelly climbed in. He started up the hog and hit the gas.

"I'm still trying to figure out if you not calling me a girl was an insult or an effort to treat me the same as the male soldiers." Kelly held onto the center roof support, foot up on the side of the hog as she watched the base pass by.

"It was a reference to the fact that you're a woman, not a girl." John turned the hog toward the roads that lead through the forest. Kelly didn't voice any opposition so he assumed she approved. They drove in silence for some time, just enjoying being together.

"I wonder if the Covenant home world has trees," Kelly wondered aloud. "Though come to think of it do all Covenant have the same planet?" John glanced toward her at the question. "I mean I don't see jackals and grunts coming from the same planet."

John agreed with the logic but the mission was the last thing he wanted to think about at the moment so he decided to change subject. "What good times were you thinking about?"

Kelly looked his way but he turned his eyes back to the path ahead of them. "I was thinking about the first time we drove warthogs and Sam nearly ran you over."

John frowned at the memory and Kelly's amusement. "It wasn't funny. He nearly knocked me senseless." John remembered the vehicle hitting him though luckily it had really just been a tap, not a full collision. "How about the first time you drove a warthog?"

"Hey, that Moa shouldn't have gotten in my way. It was also nice to know it could take the impact," Kelly reasoned. "Made me hesitate less the first time I hit a Jackal with one. Though at least I didn't try to ram a hunter and nearly got us both killed."

John groaned as she brought up the hunter. "I couldn't see it through the banshee fire," he argued. "Not to mention you were in no danger. You'd jumped out of the warthog before I even hit it."

"Good thing I did or else we both would have been blasted away. It only didn't kill you because I distracted it." Kelly reached up and removed her helmet, setting it in her lap. "Remember that one time we were out 'star gazing' and had to hide under the warthog to avoid the patrol?"

John remembered the time and remembered that what they'd been doing that night had nothing to do with staring at the sky. "I remember the questions I got the next day about the mark on my neck." It was nice to talk about simpler, more peaceful times for a change. "Maybe we should go to the field." Kelly looked toward him and he could see that she was placing in the same three words that completed his suggestion. One last trip to their secret place they'd use during their training days.

"I'd like that," Kelly agreed. "It's been a long time." Her hand moved over and settles on his thigh. John felt his pulse rise a bit and was quickly followed by the disappointment that he couldn't actually feel her hand on him. She returned her hand to its resting place on her helmet and looked out toward the forest, taking a deep breath. "I'm going to miss Reach."

"It will be here when the missions through, waiting for us." John slowed the vehicle when the road neared the field they used to use. A part of their choice had been that there was no path a warthog could take to get there. John climbed out of the vehicle and walked around to Kelly's side. She stood beside the warthog, looking out at the forest.

"Do you think Covenant plants are purple like the metal of their ships?" Kelly looked down to her helmet and then to him. She leaned over and placed a kiss on his helmet where his month would be before tucking her helmet under her arm. "Hope you plan on taking that thing off. I think it's law that if we go to our old make out spot we have kiss at least once."

John didn't disagree and they started through the forest. "Want to race to it?" Kelly asked. "Loser has to do whatever the winner wants."

John smiled behind his visor. There was no way he was going to win the race but there was really no way he was losing in the bet either. "You're on. Are you going to play fair?"

"You mean slow myself down so you can keep up?" John nodded. "Not a chance, Johnny." Kelly slipped in her helmet and the two Spartans stopped. John set a short five second timer on their HUDs and they stood side by side as it ticked down. When it reached zero they took off.

John weaves between the trees, racing toward the field. He could catch glimpses of Kelly through the trees, keeping a steady pace ahead of him but not overdoing it. They broke through the tree line and John skidded to a halt. The field wasn't empty like they had expected, rather occupied by a large creature. It turned toward them and roared.

John had only ever seen a Guta a couple times. Once from a distance and another time in their classroom as kids. The base was supposed to have a fence around it that kept the creatures out for the safety of everyone. If it got to the main base it could injure a lot of people.

The two Spartans easily switched to combat mode as the creature charged. John didn't even say a word before Kelly darted forward. John ducked down as the creature swung its arm and the strike passed over his head. Kelly reached the legs of the Guta and her fist slammed into its right leg. John heard bone crack and the beast let out a cry of pain as it stumbled. It was injured but madder than before. Kelly darted out of the way as the creature's hand slammed down where she'd just been standing. Kelly continued to dodge while John searched for the perfect opening. When it came he sprang forward. He landed on the Guta's back and quickly used the angle of the creature's body to climb up to its shoulder. The creature roared and moved to reach back but it was too late. John pulled out his knife and stabbed it into the base of the Guta's head. It toppled and John was thrown from its back. He rolled over the grass but finally came to a stop a few meters away from the dead beast.

John moved to his feet and looked to Kelly as she joined him. "There must be a hole in the fence. We should alert command so they can find the problem."

John nodded, knowing that a hole large enough for a Guta was a major security risk. He was just about to radio the base when a female voice spoke up. "I've already reported the Guta and have alerted them to the possible breach in the fence."

John froze, having been unaware that they hadn't been alone the whole time. "Cortana, how long were you monitoring us?"

"I started monitoring you when your heart rate increased," Cortana answered. "I figured you were in danger."

John wasn't sure which time she meant. Did she mean only during the fight? Had she started monitoring them since Kelly had put her hand on his thigh? Or was it back when his emotions had oddly flared up? "That will be all, Cortana." John hoped that meant she would stop watching them. He got the feeling, though, that too soon he and Kelly wouldn't be able to find somewhere they could be alone.

"What's wrong?" Kelly asked. "You tensed up. Is it bad news?" She looked around at the forest, looking for a threat.

"We were being monitored. Cortana, the AI I told you about, was monitoring us when my heart rate increased," John explained.

"So it was monitoring the race and the fight. It's not that bad." Kelly brushed it off, not worried.

"She could have been monitoring long before that." John could tell that it confused Kelly. "You have a tendency to make my pulse rise," he explained.

Kelly was silent for a moment before she reached up and removed her helmet. She tapped her head and John got the idea. He removed his own helmet. "Do you think it can still hear us without our helmets on?"

"I'm not sure, and Cortana is female," John replied. "I don't think the helmets are powered without being attached to the rest of the armor."

"John, AI don't really have a gender. That's like saying your armor is male. Just because your equipment can talk back doesn't mean it's a person." Kelly shook her head a bit.

"Talk to her and then tell me that she's as a person," John countered. "I'm sure we'll find a way to be alone."

Kelly moved to stand before John and smiled. "I don't want to talk about AI or how to get away from them." Kelly moved her hand to John's neck and pulled him toward her. Their lips touched and John pulled her against him as close as their armor would allow. She broke away, her fingers having moved to the back of his head. "You think it can feel your heart right now?"

"If she can she must think I'm fighting a pack of Guta." John placed a light kiss in her forehead. "You won the race. What do you want?"

"You," Kelly answered.

"That's like saying you want a suit of high powered armor. You already have it." John leaned forward and rested his head against hers. "What do you want that you don't already own?"

"Other than privacy from that AI?" Kelly asked. "I have everything I could ever want. Though, we could always live up to our nickname for this field."

John smiled, knowing that she had only worded that way so if Cortana was listening she might not know what they were talking about. "Whatever you want, Bunny." He pulled her back to him and they clung to each other as they kissed.


	33. Reach

John was checking over his gear, grabbing enough ammunition to be able to supply him for the full mission. He finished gathering his supplies and turned around, surprised to find Kelly standing in his way. She didn't move and didn't say anything. "Is there something you need?"

"Why am I on Red Team?" John could hear the hurt in her voice. "Why am I going down to the planet?"

John flinched at her tone. He would admit that his choice was out of the ordinary. He always kept her close, watching his back, but he was sending her on a completely different mission. "It's not that big of a deal, Kelly."

"I'm always at your back. Why are you taking Linda instead of me?" Kelly reached up, removing her helmet and allowing John to see the visible pain on her face.

John's shoulders slumped as he saw the look on her face. He did feel bad. It felt like he was betraying her by not having her as his Blue Two. He removed his own helmet, deciding that this was a discussion best done face to face, something it seemed they never did any more.

"Reach is important, it cannot fall." Kelly listened intently, waiting for him to expand on his answer. "This space op might not change anything, but if Reach falls, then all of humanity will be in trouble. We can't allow it to fall. I want to take you with me, I do, but you are better used on the ground." John placed a hand on her shoulder. "Fred is going to need you to back him up, and I know that you'll be able to do it. You've always had my back, now he's going to need you. Make sure that this mission doesn't fail and stay alive. I know you won't fail."

"I'm the one that should be telling you to stay alive." She smiled a bit. "You won't have me to watch your back and keep you alive."

"I promise I'll come back alive. I'll join you down on the planet and we'll drive the Covenant off our home." John smiled to her.

Kelly frowned at his words. "Don't make a girl a promise you can't keep." She looked down for a moment before she moved forward, pulling John toward her. Their lips collided and John hesitantly returned the kiss.

The kiss broke but John kept her from pulling too far away. "I'll see you on the planet. Nothing can stop me from being there." He released her and Kelly took a step back. John looked over her shoulder as Fred appeared in the door way.

"Sir, Red Team is ready to go." Fred looked to Kelly. "You ready to go, Red Two?"

Kelly nodded and put her helmet back on. "Ready to go, sir." He moved over to him and glanced back over her shoulder at John.

John nodded to her and the two Spartans moved off. He felt a sudden fear, like it was going to be a long time before he saw her again. John pushed the unease to the back of his mind. He had a mission to get to, one that he couldn't fail.


	34. Peace

John looked around at the grand ballroom. It looked like something from a large mansion, though John couldn't really place where. He didn't know how he'd gotten there, and when he tried to think of what had happened he couldn't remember. He could remember being on the Covenant ship, going out to fix the damage, the plasma racing toward them. He didn't know what happened after that.

John heard heels clicking on the smooth stone floor and he turned around to find Kelly walking toward him. His mouth fell open a little as he looked at her. She was wearing a long dark blue strapless dress. There was a long slid down the side of the dress and he caught glimpses of her long legs as she moved. An ornate sapphire necklace hung around her neck and he could see the shine of diamond earrings as she neared. He looked down to her feet and was surprised by the high heels that she wore. They weren't too tall, only about two inches in height, but he'd never seen her in heels.

Kelly moved over to him and John held out his hand to her. He looked down to realize that he was in his dress uniform. They must be at some sort of party or something. John couldn't seem to fill the holes. Kelly's hand touched his and he leaned forward, placing a light kiss on the back of her hand.

Kelly smiled at him as he stood back up. "Sure, you get to wear your uniform, I have to wear this stupid dress thing. I can't believe you have me wearing heels." Kelly rolled her eyes but took a step closer to John.

"You look beautiful, Kelly. I thank you for dressing that way for me." John's hand moved to her waist, holding out his other arm to his side. Her hand moved to his shoulder and he smiled at her. "Do you mind if I have this dance?"

Kelly smiled softly at him. "Lead the way, Master Chief." John started to move and she followed his lead. They made lazy circles around the ballroom, swaying to music that seemed to come from nowhere. It was calm and peaceful, just the two of them alone in the open space. "What is it about you that makes me feel so at peace?"

"I didn't know you could be at peace," Kelly joked. "I don't know John, really. I can't speak for you. I can only speak for myself."

John slowed their steps and moved both of his hands to her waist. Kelly rest her head on his shoulder as her arms moved around his neck. "All I know is, when I have you I can be peaceful." John stopped their movements and wrapped his arms around her. "I love you, Kelly."

Kelly sighed and John felt her slump a bit in his grip. "If only you could tell me that when we're awake." John frowned not understanding.

John's eyes opened and he found himself lying in the medical bay of the captured Covenant ship on its way to try to get away from Reach and find a way home.


	35. Alive

John walked through the hallways of the Covenant ship. He didn't like this slipspace anomaly. It made it hard to tell time and he had no idea how long they had been in space or how much longer it would be until they reached their destination. He wasn't even sure what day it was.

John stopped as he spotted another Spartan. He recognized her movements and noted that each step was hesitant. "Kelly." The other Spartan stopped and turned to him. He moved to stand before her, not exactly sure what to say. He felt guilt over all that he had put her through. When he'd sent her to the ground mission he thought he was sending her to the easier of the two missions. If he'd taken her with him on the space-op maybe she would have been safer, or she'd have been with him on the Halo. No, he wouldn't have wanted that. He was pretty sure that if that had happened they both wouldn't have survived. He would have never forgiven himself if she had died on that ring.

"John, is everything all right?" Kelly waved her hand in front of his face and he was snapped out of his head.

John grabbed her wrist. He felt her flinch just a tiny bit at the contact. He released her right away. "Everything's fine, I was just lost in my head for a moment." An awkward silence hung in the air. "So how are your injuries?"

"I'm fine. I'll be ready when you need me." Kelly stood up a bit taller as she spoke. John knew it was a lie. She had second degree burns on 72 percent of her body, she wasn't all right.

He reached up and she didn't make a move to stop him. John hit the release on her helmet and pulled it off. He looked at her, noticing the slight burns that peeked out around her neck. It felt like an eternity since he had seen her face. He'd seen her face before they'd left for their missions on Reach but that seemed like forever ago. He was slightly aware of her removing his helmet and smiling at him. John felt her gauntleted hand run over his cheek.

"I thought I'd lost you." John reached up and placed a hand over the one on his cheek. He wished that they could be out of their armor, able to feel each other more.

"I'm not that easy to get rid of." Kelly smirked at him. "I'm just glad that you kept your promise."

John squeezed her hand slightly. "You know me. When I make a promise…"

"You keep it."

John released the helmet in his hand and before it hit the floor he'd pulled Kelly to him, bringing their lips together. The second helmet hit the floor as Kelly's hands moved to John's neck and head, pulling him closer. The two clung to each other, trying to deepen the kiss, though their armor prevented it.

John pulled away, trying to regain his breath. He kept Kelly close, unwilling to let her go. He feared that if he let her go they would be separated again, and he wasn't sure how he would handle that. He had just gotten her back, and she was damaged as well.

John opened his mouth. He wanted to say it, wanted to tell her, but he chickened out. He shut his mouth again and Kelly took a step back, forcing John to let her go. She knelt down and grabbed one of the helmets, slipping it on. She paused for a moment before she took the helmet off. "This one is yours." She handed it to him and he was forced to take it. She picked up her own and slipped it on. There was a slight pause. "I'll be ready to fight when you need me." She turned and walked away.

John looked down at his helmet, cursing himself. Why couldn't he just say it, tell her how he felt? Why was he such a coward when it came to her?

Note: 100 reviews for this story. I'm so proud. I love hearing from all of you. Thank you all for reading and I hope to continue to continue to get reviews from you all.


	36. Rabbit's Nightmare

Kelly's feet thudded against the ground as she ran for her life. She wasn't sure what or who she was running from, only that she needed to get away. She didn't recognize the forest as she ran between the trees, hoping they would deter her pursuer. She couldn't hear anything following her, the sound of her blood thudding in her ears like a waterfall, drowning out everything. She couldn't see whatever was following her but she knew it was still there. It was still on her tail, trying to get her.

The trees beside her shattered though she could see no source that would cause the destruction. As the bits of wood fell the transformed into long orange worms, slithering over the ground. She knew what they were on sight and ran faster. The worms joined together and blue liquid seeped out from between them to solidify into heavy blue armor. The giant hunter raised its gun and fired. The blast hit her and Kelly tumbled to the ground.

She could still hear the heavy footsteps as the hunter walked closer, preparing to finish her off. The pain started to sink in but she ignored it, like she always did. She struggled to get back up, trying to force herself back to her feet but it was like a great weight was keeping her down. She needed to get back up, needed to get moving. She had to be ready to fight or she'd die. The Spartans were planning a mission and she needed to be there with them. She needed to be John's Blue Two again. The last time she wasn't she thought she'd lost him forever. He'd gone to the Halo and almost died. She couldn't let that happen again, she had to have his back.

Kelly got to her feet, stumbling a bit but she started walking away from the hunter. She wanted to run but her legs wouldn't listen and she settled on walking. The hunter didn't fire again, just walked after her, keeping pace. It made no move to attack but it was still a threat and she needed to get away. She didn't know where she was heading but anywhere was better than facing the hunter.

Her foot caught on a root and she crashed to the ground, not enough energy to move and the stiff feeling in her arms made them hard to move. She took deep breaths, trying to gather her strength and get up again. The shadow descended over her and she knew she was out of time. The hunter would kill her and she'd never see John or the other Spartans again.

The strike never came. Kelly looked over her shoulder to find that the hunter had become a Spartan. No, not any Spartan, it was John. She didn't know what to say. Somehow he'd made the hunter go away, but more importantly he came for her. When she needed him he had come to save her.

John's hand reached out, his gauntleted hand settling on her back. The touch spread a warmth through her body that eased away the pain like running water over burned skin. She was suddenly aware that she didn't have armor on herself. "I just need to get on my armor and I'll be ready to go, Chief."

John shook his head and Kelly didn't understand. "Linda will be my Blue Two. We'll get the job done without you." John's voice was so flat, so dismissive. Was it really that easy to leave her behind? She felt a pain from his words that replaced the numbed physical pain.

"No, I'm Blue Two," she argued. She once more tried to force herself to her feet. She had to get moving, had to get back in the action. She had to have John's back. That was her duty, her purpose.

John stopped her, forcing her back to the ground. She cursed, not understanding. Why was he doing this? Why didn't he want her to go with him? Kelly stopped as she felt breath on her ear. "Go with Halsey, stay alive," John whispered.

"I don't want to be safe, I want to be with you," Kelly argued. She didn't want the safe mission, that wasn't the Spartan way. She wanted to be there with them as they took on the Covenant.

"But I want you safe," John countered. "Now do as you are ordered and stay alive." The weight was suddenly gone and John was gone. Kelly felt suddenly cold and the dull ache from her nearly healed burns returned.

Kelly's eyes opened and she found that she wasn't aboard the medical bay of the combined Covenant- human ship. She was aboard a much smaller ship and they were in trouble. She pushed aside the memory of her dream, the question of where John was, and focused on the emergency at hand.


	37. Dilemma

John ran a hand over his hair, slouching where he sat on the locker room bench. It felt a bit good to be out of his armor, to be alone fully in his head. He knew that Cortana wasn't ever really in his head but the way she talked it felt like she was. His hand moved down to his neural implant and he absently massaged the area. His body was tired and he hasn't really gotten much sleep, the strain of the Halo and First Strike starting to catch up with him. They'd removed his Mark V armor and he'd gotten a bit of sleep but it wasn't as much as he needed.

John closed his eyes and tried to remember the dream he'd had. He could still see the love in her eyes and her smiling face from where she'd been lying on his chest but he couldn't bring back the memories of her touch or the affection in her kiss. He almost wanted to go back to sleep, try to recapture it, but he had things to do. He didn't have the luxury to sleep longer. He had to go to the armory, get his new armor, and then he was supposed to be given some metal.

"Did you get any sleep?" Fred asked as he moved into the locker room. John simply nodded to answer, slightly annoyed as he lost his grip on what little of the dream he remembered. "It will be good to go down to the planet. It's been a while since we've been on solid ground." Fred paused for a moment. "Well, not that long. I guess it's just felt like a long time since Reach. Had to believe it's been so short a time."

"It does feel longer. It's most likely because we haven't gotten a lot of sleep. Makes it feel longer." John fought the desire to massage his shoulder, not wanting to show his fatigue in front of Fred. "I'll meet up with the rest of the team after the Admiral finishes awarding me whatever metal it is he's decided on."

Fred frowned and sat down on the bench a bit away from John. "I wanted to talk to you about that. I don't think that we should split up the team. We can stay here on the station until you finish. I just...I have a bad feeling." Fred wouldn't look up to meet John's gaze. He was instead looking at everything that wasn't John.

"The Covenant is still on its way, we only slowed it down," John admitted. "There should be plenty of time for the Admiral to get his private meeting and meet back up with the team with plenty of time." John was fairly sure that the Admiral really just wanted a in-person report from him on the Halo and Reach. There was only so much someone could put in a report and the Admiral might have questions. John didn't expect it to take long and the Covenant had been delayed by First Strike so he estimated that they'd have enough time.

"I'm not so sure," Fred said, finally turning to look at John. "Something in my gut tells me that a threat is very close. Like we're running out of time."

"You're just nervous," John stated. "I shouldn't have put so much pressure on you to lead the Spartans on Reach. You did a good job but I know it's hard when people die under your command."

Fred's gaze turned down toward the floor in shame. "It's not like one or two Spartans died. There were so many of us and now there's only four." Fred closed his eyes and let out a long breath. "Five," he corrected himself. "I screwed up so much on that mission. If it weren't for Kelly I would have fallen apart. I don't know how you managed without her."

John was glad Fred wasn't looking at him at that moment. It allowed him the freedom to tense at the mention of Kelly. He was able to get himself under control before Fred noticed. It wouldn't inspire confidence in Fred if John was unsettled by talking about Kelly. "I made a promise," he said, standing up and opening his locker. He started to strip, feeling like he needed to wash up before getting into his new suit. Maybe a little water would be able to wash away his concern.

Fred stood as well and followed suit. John ignored him for the moment. Maybe Fred just wanted to take a shower or maybe in the wake of Reach he just wanted to follow someone else's lead. "So what are we going to do?"

John shut his locker and moved toward the showers. "Blue Team will head down to the planet and I'll join them after the Admiral finishes whatever he has planned." John moved to one of shower heads and turned on the water. He let the warm liquid run over him, just letting it calm his mind.

Fred stood under the flow of a shower head beside John. "That's not what I was asking about," he said as he grabbed the soap and started to wash up. "I was asking what we were going to do about Kelly."

John tensed and was a bit unhappy that his relaxing shower was no longer possible. If there was one Spartan who would latch onto helping another Spartan it was Fred. "What about her?" John could feel Fred watching him as he started to wash himself, trying to brush over the conversation. He wasn't able to let himself think about the female Spartan right now. The Covenant were coming and he had to stay focused.

"You can actually expect me to believe that you don't think we should get her back," Fred said as he scrubbed at his arm. "I'm asking what are we going to do to get her back. We can't just abandon her." John bristled at the word 'abandon'. "What are we going to do?"

"We're going to protect Earth. The Covenant is heading here and we have to protect the planet. Not to mention with the Covenant here wherever she is she's safer there." John couldn't bring himself to call Kelly by name. That would risk opening emotions attached to the female Spartan which he couldn't allow.

Fred frowned and studied John, as though he'd be able to read his friend's thoughts. "What if Doctor Halsey took her to something like the Halo you went to?" John turned his gaze to the wall, trying to ignore what Fred was saying. "She was injured the last time we saw her and Halsey is with her. She'll focus on protecting the doctor so things won't turn out well if she meets any hostile forces." John closed his eyes, trying to block out the emotions that were trying to rise up as Fred spoke. "There were no weapons on that ship and they didn't take any. I know Kelly can take care of herself but with a civilian to take care of it will be a problem. Even more if they've gone to anything forerunner structure and finds that Flood parasite that you talked about." John couldn't stop the fear that burst up at the idea of Kelly fighting the Flood. "How would you even fight the Flood without a weapon?"

"Stop," John said quietly, trying hard to get his fear under control but memories of the Flood were breaking through and mixing with thoughts of Kelly fighting off the Flood with her fists. He felt a panic rising up in him and he felt like he needed to find a way to get to her, help her. Under it all he knew he couldn't do that. He had to stay and lead the Spartans when the Covenant arrived.

"Can you kill any form of the Flood with your hands? Maybe there's some sir of weapon she can use to fight it. If she doesn't I don't know how she'll manage," Fred said absently as he scrubbed himself.

"Stop!" John was surprised by the anger in his own voice. He looked to Fred, allowing the anger to show on his face to cover the fear that was under it. He could see that Fred was just as surprised by John's anger. John took a deep breath and released the broken Bar of soap from his hand. He took a few more breaths to calm himself down, a bit embarrassed at how his emotions had come out like that. While most people would be embarrassed by standing naked in the center of the commons area that wouldn't embarrass a Spartan. Spartans were only ever embarrassed by things like public shows of emotion or emotional outbursts. John had never before let his emotions get the better of him, except with Kelly, but that hadn't been anger.

Fred held out his bar of soap to John. "Sorry, I wasn't really thinking. I know you're worried about her and I'm not helping."

John took the offered soap. "You don't know what you're talking about, what you were suggesting. The Flood...it's not like fighting the Covenant or rebels. Without a weapon even a Spartan wouldn't stand a chance. If you get too close it will consume you and there would be no way to stop it." John started to scrub his body and turned his attention to the wall before him.

"Well you said the Flood you met for the most part was made of human and Covenant that were consumed. Without any of that maybe Kelly could hold her own, even with someone to protect. I'm sure she'll be fine."

Fred's words only made things worse. In response to John's embarrassing emotional outburst Fred was treating him with pity which was only more embarrassing. He knew Fred was just the kind of guy that sympathized and didn't mean to make it worse. "It doesn't matter, the Covenant is on its way to Earth. We have to defend the planet, that's our duty and we can't let anything get in the way of that duty. Not even an emotional connection." John put the soap away and let the quarter rinse him clean. "Besides, we can't follow her anyway. We have no way of knowing where Doctor Halsey took her and we can't just search the galaxy."

"I know our duty," Fred countered. "But you can't tell me that if we got a signal from Kelly, saying where she was and that she needed help, that you wouldn't go and try to help her if the Covenant hasn't arrived yet."

John considered the scenario. There were a lot of variables left out and he didn't like it, still he couldn't deny how he wanted to answer. "My instinct is to say yes," John admitted. "But we don't make choices based on instinct. Earth needs to be protected and if it isn't then there would be nothing to come home to even if I found and saved her. My preferred course of action wold be to squire a small craft that I could take to where she was and leave you, Will, and Linda to protect Earth. You're fully capable of protecting the planet long enough for us to get back and assist you." Maybe it was a lie, maybe he was putting too much hope on Blue Team's skills but a part if him wanted to believe it.

"No, I could go get her. I can't lead Blue Team, not after how many I got killed on Reach." Fred shut off his shower. "We wouldn't be able to afford me getting Will and Linda killed."

John shut his own shower off. "You got anyone off a glassed planet alive, Fred. You did fine. Besides, you'd never allow me to go help Kathleen in your stead." John knew that Fred would understand what he meant. He saw the slight frown on Fred's face and realized his misstep. "I didn't mean-"

Fred shook his head. "No, you're right. I'd want to go to her myself." John was a bit surprised by how neutral Fred was able to keep his features as he spoke. "It doesn't matter anyway, we don't know where Kelly is and we may never find out." John felt the sting of the words but didn't fight back. He had hurt his friend and Fred had returned the pain. Fred moved out of the shower and John stood alone for a moment.

Although Fred had said the words to hurt John the other man was right. They had no signal from Kelly and likely they wouldn't. John closed his eyes and tried to fight off the thought that he'd never see Kelly again. He didn't like the emotions that were rising up and didn't know how to stop it. The emotions rose up threatening to swallow him and he didn't know how to fight it. He'd been taught to push aside fear but not this combination of fear and sorrow that was rising up.

John was pulled out of his head as a towel brushed his arm. He looked over to see Fred offering him a towel. John took it, knowing that this wasn't so much an indication of pity but understanding. John wondered if what he was feeling was the same as Fred had when he'd woken after the augmentations and Kathleen hadn't been there, and all the time they spent waiting to know who had died and who hadn't. John allowed himself a moment of apprehensive fear over when he did find out if he'd ever see Kelly again.

"Come on, let's get moving. You've got a new set of armor to put on and an admiral waiting." Fred started to dry himself as he moved back to the lockers.

John started to dry his body as he followed. "Will will likely be in the barracks." Fred stopped for just a fraction of a second before continuing to move. John knew that when he left Fred would look for Will, seeking the presence of his friend and the one person still alive that could talk to him about Kathleen. John finished drying off and changed clothing in silence with Fred.

"To be fair," Fred said, breaking the silence. "You can't beat the augmentations by fighting it. Since when has Kelly lost?" Fred smiled just a little bit. "I always felt like she inherited bed your refusal to lose." Fred shut his locker and moved out of the room.

John stood in the silent for a moment before leaving the locker room as well to head to the armory and get suited up in his new armor.


	38. Thinking of You

John looked over the ammunition that they had stocked up. He glanced over at the Arbiter who was moving the last of the ammunition crates into the store room. John nodded to him and the Arbiter nodded back. The alien left the room and John sat down on a crate. The fight ahead of him was going to be a long one. He wished that he had his team there, that the rest of the Spartan IIs there to help him. He was sure he could use Fred's close-quarter-combat skills, Will's determination to get any job done, and Linda's sniping skills.

John's mind turned to the one remaining living Spartan II, or at least he hoped she was still alive. He had no idea what Halsey had done with Kelly. He had heard about the message from Halsey asking for more Spartans. He knew that Fred, Will, and Linda had gone to answer the call. That didn't really tell him what had happened to Kelly. Was she still alive? Did Halsey need the other Spartans because Kelly was dead?

Just the thought of Kelly being dead scared John a bit. Here he was about to risk his life, go into the portal to try to find the solution to the flood that Cortana had promised, and her being dead seemed to scare him more. He hoped that it would all be worth it. His body and mind were tired, and he wasn't sure if he'd make it through this fight. He hated the thought that he'd never see her ever again. He would have given up all the soldiers that would be going with him just to have her standing by his side again. He was sure he could keep going if only to be sure she made it out.

John set his mind on that. The want to insure that Kelly made it. He knew she was strong, and if Halsey was still alive, then Kelly had to be alive. The doctor wouldn't be able to survive without the Spartan to protect her. It gave him new purpose. He was going through the portal to find the solution, if only to end this war so when Kelly returned to Earth she could find a place where she wouldn't have to fight. The message had said something about forerunner things, and John wondered if it too had flood on it. Would this solution that Cortana promised cause all flood to die? Would it mean that if there were flood where Kelly was that it would die?

John clenched his fists. He didn't have any other option. He hadn't been able to follow the other Spartans to this place called Onyx. He had been on the Delta Halo, so far away from them. They'd been long gone before he finally got back to Earth. Maybe he'd never see any of them ever again. He had been fully ready for that on the Halo, but he'd gotten a chance to say goodbye to Kelly before they'd gone off on their missions. This time, he couldn't do that.

John decided that he wouldn't lie to himself. There was a good chance that he'd die on this mission. A good chance that he'd never see Kelly ever again. Die without ever telling her how he felt about her as he'd promised himself he would. John closed his eyes, wishing there were some way that he could change that. His eyes opened as he realized there was a way that he could say goodbye, tell her what he wanted and probably not hold back.

John opened up a voice message and took a deep breath. He addressed it to Kelly-087. He just stared at her name for a moment, trying to gather his thoughts before he started. He activated the record and spoke. "Kelly." He let her name just hang there for a second before he continued. "If you're listening to this, I went through the portal and didn't come back." John wished that she could be there, standing before him to hear the words in person, but this was the best he could do. "I just want you to know a few things. You've always been my best friend. You always had my back and got me through the hardest fights. You were also always the one that made me feel the most human. With you I could be someone other than the Master Chief. I could be John, the man you knew since we were six, growing up together. You were also more than a friend. With you I could start to understand what peace was. Those times that we shared are always what I turn to when things get dark."

John closed his eyes and pictured Kelly standing before him. That soft smile that somehow made him forget at times all the hardships and loss they had gone through. "I want you to know, Kelly, that I love you. I have for so long, but I always was too scared of what you'd say if I told you. I'm sorry that I couldn't tell you when I was still around, that I could tell you in person. I want you to know that I'm doing this for you, or at least you're the only reason I can come up with that will keep me going. I want to save humanity, but I've been fighting for that for so long. I just don't think it will keep me going any longer. Saving you, giving you a world without the flood or this war, that is something that I'm willing to fight far past exhaustion for." John smiled a bit as he thought of all the past times. All the stolen moments, the heated times in locked storage rooms, private quarters, or showers. "I love you, Kelly. I hope you're alive and happy."

John stopped the recording and gave the message a title. He decided on simply 'listen if I'm dead.' It was about as clear as he could be. If Kelly was dead, she would never hear it, but no one else would either. If she was alive, then she'd come home and be able to hear him say what he'd wanted to tell her. John stood from the crate and moved out of the storage room, heading out to find out if there was something productive that he could be doing.

2560

John stared at the datapad, frowning at the words on the list. "Why didn't you ever listen to this?" John showed the list to Kelly who was sitting at the kitchen table. He pointed to the message that he'd sent before he'd left for the Ark.

Kelly shrugged. "I just couldn't listen to it." She turned her attention back to the apple she was cutting up then stopped. "Wait, why are you in me messages?"

"I'm making sure that Lieutenant isn't still bothering you." John sat down at the table beside her. "What do you mean you couldn't listen to it? Do you mean the file was corrupted?" He hated to think that she'd never heard his words because of a system glitch.

Kelly shook her head. "No, that's not what I mean." She sighed and leaned back in her chair, putting the knife and fruit down. "For the first year people thought you might still be alive. After two most of the Spartan IIIs gave up. After three the other Spartan IIs gave up. After four I started telling people that I thought you were dead. Really, I was just lying. I could never let go of the belief that you were still alive. I felt like listening to that message would be admitting that you were dead. I couldn't do that."

John smiled a bit and leaned over to her, placing a quick kiss on her cheek. "Thank you for never giving up on me." Kelly smiled and leaned toward him, placing a light kiss on his lips. "Though you should listen to it. I meant everything I said in it and I wanted you to know those things. All this time I thought you knew, but I had no idea." John stood from his chair and moved out of the room, leaving Kelly to her snack.


	39. Down Time

Kelly wasn't really satisfied with the answer she'd been given. Just telling her that John was the best didn't mean that he was still alive. She knew that he was the best, she'd stood beside him and followed him without question because she had faith in that fact. Still, she'd seen so many Spartans fall in the field and she feared the day that it would be John or her who would fall.

It felt like forever since she'd seen him. Fred had told her how First Strike had gone, and she felt awful for not being there. She should have been there to be John's blue two. Maybe then Grace would have survived. Maybe they would have stood more of a chance against those things, brutes, whatever they were.

She sat beside Halsey, just thinking. She didn't really notice the Doctor's presence. She decided to leave Halsey to the forerunner symbols. It would keep her from causing trouble and would give Kelly a chance to just think. She hadn't really had time for that since she'd woken up in that ship after she'd been stolen.

She knew that out of all the Spartans John was the one that could handle anything on his own, though if she was there with him she'd feel more secure. She wanted to know that he was alive, see him standing before her, alive. Kelly wanted to be able to touch him, to feel that he was there. She missed seeing him, missed seeing his smile and feeling his skin under her fingers.

Kelly felt like she was going out of her mind. She missed John, and she had nothing to take her mind off of it. She was told to wait here and maybe Lucy would show up but there was no way for Kelly to hurry that or do anything productive. She didn't have anything to do other than sit and think about John.

Kelly looked over to Halsey and wondered if she could talk to her about John. She shot down the idea. She didn't feel comfortable talking to the woman about John. She wasn't stupid, she knew that Halsey would have nothing but reassuring things to say. Halsey had already made it clear that she was sure John was still alive. Still, something kept Kelly from talking to her. You just didn't talk to your mother about the man you loved. At least Kelly couldn't.

She leaned back against the wall, trying to think of anything, anything that wasn't John. She was failing miserably. Everything she thought about turned back to John. The war, Earth, the Flood, the fallen Spartans, even just the weather. Each time somehow it all came back to John.

He stared at the wall across from her, trying to clear her mind. She went through some of the zen techniques that she'd learned to keep her reflexes sharp. She concentrated fully on her actions, trying to stay focused. She scowled as she fought to keep her mind clear of all thought, just the exercises. She could feel her attention trying to pull back to the Master Chief and she was getting annoyed by it.

Kelly sighed, relaxing a bit. She saw no purpose to fight it. She let her mind focus on John, though she avoided thinking about where he was now. She crossed her arms over her chest and wondered what he would do in this situation. How would he handle a missing Spartan III? What would he think of the Spartan IIIs? He had more experience with forerunner technology. Would he know more about what they were dealing with?

Kelly wondered if wherever John was, was he thinking about her? Did he even have the ability to be thinking about her? Was he off doing something important, risking his life, while she was just sitting here thinking about him. She once more hated herself and wanted to be by his side, helping him. She groaned, smacking her head back against the wall. This is why she didn't need down time. She muttered into her helmet, being sure that the radio was off so no one could hear her. "Why do you plague me, John?"

She smiled as she could almost hear his answer. "Because if I didn't then you'd get bored and do something reckless."

Kelly laughed slightly as she could swear she'd just heard him whisper in her ear. "Wherever you are John, you better come out of it alive. I won't forgive you if don't." She glanced toward Halsey, being sure that she was still on task before she once more turned back to thinking about the Master Chief.


	40. Girl Talk

Kelly sat at a table alone in the mess hall. Usually she'd sit with the Rabbits but they were currently training in matches against other Spartan IV teams. For now she was left alone to eat her lunch in peace. Kelly looked up as another woman sat down across from her. Kelly recognized the woman as Sarah Palmer, the leader of the Spartan IVs. Kelly hadn't really talked to the woman before but the Spartan IVs seemed to have a good record so she must be competent.

Palmer smiled and leaned a bit against the table. "You're Kelly, Spartan-087?" Kelly nodded. "I'm Commander Sarah Palmer, head of the Spartan IVs."

"I know who you are. I've been stealing the best of your trainees for my Rabbits." Kelly grabbed her apple. "How can I help you?"

"That you have, but I don't mind. I think you're making my Spartans better with these Rabbits." Palmer smiled and Kelly felt it was genuine enthusiastic. "You know I'd never really heard of you before I made an inquiry." Kelly shrugged, having never been big on being known by people. "I saw you and the other Spartan IIs training in the holo-chamber."

"Yeah, that thing is useful. When we were training we had to go to different planets in order to train in different terrain. The holo-chamber allows a wide variety of terrain all right here." Kelly liked the possibilities that the chamber offered. It also allowed groups of soldiers to practice killing enemies without actually killing each other.

"Yes it is useful but watching you and that sniper, Linda, brought up a question to me. Why don't I know much about you two? I read your file, you both have an impressive history, so why do I never hear about either of you?"

"You probably didn't hear much about Fred either but he's the head of the Spartan IIs now. They've never really liked naming Spartans in the press." Kelly had grown used to looking at pictures and only having their team name or just a mention that some Spartans were awarded some award.

"But everyone knows the Master Chief," Palmer countered. "I've never heard about his steady second-in-command."

Kelly shrugged, not really sure what to say. "The Master Chief has done a lot on his own. The Alpha and Delta Halo, The Flood, and the Ark. We were away from him during those times so he was the Spartan people rallied around. We didn't abandon him by choice but things don't always work out the way you want them to."

"But any Spartan could have done what he did. I saw you guys fighting, any if any one of you had been in that situation you would have been able to do it," Palmer asserted. "What makes him so special?"

"John has always been lucky," Kelly explained. "Any of us could have done what he did, but we probably would have died. I believe John's luck saves him during things like that. I could have made the run to the Longswords in time but the others likely wouldn't. John just barely made it and I'm sure it's because of his luck." Kelly frowned looking down at the table. "I'm sure his luck saved him on the Ark as well."

"But does that really make him so special? I mean, I'd rather rely on skill to survive, not luck." Palmer frowned. "You really think he survived?"

"Absolutely," Kelly assured her. "I don't think I know he did. I've known John since I was six and I assure you that when I say he's alive he is."

"All right, I accept that he is alive," Palmer relented. "Though luck doesn't explain why it is he gets all the attention."

Kelly considered what she said for a moment. "John has always gotten the most attention. He was our squad leader, Halsey always seemed to focus on him, and he always refused to let anyone take the risks."

"But that's not exactly fair," Palmer voiced. "Squad leaders aren't always all that important, I don't see why the opinion of a war criminal should matter, and why reward him for not giving you a chance to shine?"

Kelly frowned, a bit confused. "I've never cared that John had all the attention. Why do you care so much?"

Palmer hesitated for a moment before answering. "I lead all of the Spartan IVs, not exactly an easy task. I have a good record but I'm stuck in the Master Chief's shadow. Not just because he's a legend but because he's a man. Have you realized that only one of your teams, Black Team, has had a female leader. 117, 006, 092, and 104. All of them men. How many of them have women backing them up?"

"All of them. Both John and Fred have been backed up by me, Jerome had Alice, and Jai had Adriana." Kelly frowned for a moment. "I was actually John's third in command but Sam died after our first encounter with the Covenant so I took the post of second."

"Seriously?" Palmer asked, surprised. "But you're an amazing fighter, you showed great strategy, and you beat the others in the game. How could you not be his second-in-command from the start?"

"I won that game because I stalked Fred, let Linda take down his shields, and killed him while moving between cover too fast for Linda. It wasn't all that hard." Kelly had found it easy to take advantage of what she knew about her teammates to win.

"My point is why didn't you, or Linda, leading Teams? You're just as good as the men. Have you ever even had a chance to lead?" Palmer asked.

Kelly thought the question through. "The Rabbits are the only thing I've ever really led and I haven't led them in combat yet," Kelly admitted. "I was always on Blue Team."

"Then let me ask about Reach. If you were good enough to be the Master Chief's second-in-command then why couldn't you lead Red Team on Reach?" Palmer was starting to become more energetic and passionate about the topic.

Kelly frowned, not liking the question. She didn't have a good answer as to why she hadn't been Red Leader. She put down the apple she'd forgotten in her hand. "I don't know," she admitted.

"If women like you had a chance to lead or the world even knew who you were they would see that although the Master Chief did a lot he's just a Spartan, and maybe I wouldn't have so many vultures ready to attack me for any problem and want to replace me with a man." Palmer's words were bitter and Kelly got the idea that being looked down on for being a woman wasn't anything new.

"You know, I never noticed all that about the genders. Things were always that way and I never really questioned it." Kelly now felt like she'd failed. For years had she really been allowing herself to be discriminated against? She didn't thing John was discriminating, at least not on purpose but only the males had ever really been given a chance to lead other than Black Team. Were the males really that much better than the women or was there a prejudice against the women. "I've never really questioned if they treated us differently than the men."

"Do you really thing Miranda would have been given a ship so young if her father weren't famous? I'm starting to think I was just chosen because they were getting heat about it, which is why they are already looking to replace me. Let me ask you something, do you thing the Master Chief would dislike being under your command because you are a woman?"

That was one question that Kelly knew the answer to. "The only reason he would ever be uncomfortable taking commands from me would be if I were a lower rank than him. John...well in combat he doesn't look at me differently than any other Spartan."

Palmer raised an eyebrow. "So then how does he look at you when you're out of combat?"

Kelly inwardly cursed, annoyed with herself for letting that slip. She hoped she could still cover it. "He looks at me like he looks at no other Spartan. He is my best friend and I've always been his. I met him on the very first day of training and we've been friends ever sense…well the day after the first day as the first day he screwed us over and made us go hungry because he was selfish."

"Sure, I completely buy that." Palmer smirked and Kelly knew she had accepted the diversion. "Don't worry, I won't tell, besides he's MIA."

"Every Spartan that isn't currently here on Earth is active, all others are missing," Kelly muttered. Silence fell between them and Kelly finally stood up. "I need to go, I should check on the Rabbits." She paused for a moment. "You know they have nothing on you. The Spartan IVs are effective and you're leading them. Let the vultures circle, they're fools for targeting a healthy, strong soldier." Palmer smiled and stood, saluting. Kelly returned the salute before grabbing her tray and taking it to the trash. She tossed most of her food keeping her apple and putting the tray with the others. Kelly left the mess hall, heading to the holo-chamber to check on how well the Rabbits were doing.


	41. Wake

The sky above was calm, filled with fluffy clouds that shifted as the wind carried them through the bright blue sky. The weight on his chest shifted and he felt warm breath touch his neck. There were birds chirping nearby adding to the calm of the scene. John wrapped his arm loosely around the other person's waist and gently slipped his fingers under her shirt, touching her soft skin. In response the breath on his neck became a set of lips, pressing gently against his skin.

"Lion," he muttered, almost regretting it right away. The lips moved away and the woman turned to look to the sky, causing John to lose the skin contact.

The woman pulled herself up on his body and into view. Her bright blue eyes seemed to shine in amusement and there was a slight smile on her face. "You really are awful at this game. That is clearly a fish."

John smiled, having never been able to identify a cloud as something she agreed with. "Rabbit." She turned around and looks over the sky, trying to find anything. "Oh my mistake." John's hand moved up and pulled her down so he could press a soft kiss to her throat. "It's a Bunny." Kelly laughed before leaning down to press her lips to his. John deepened the kiss, arms holding her tight. He rolled them over, pinning Kelly on the soft grass. He pushed his body against hers and she turned away from him enough to laugh. John pulled back and frowned at her. "What's so funny?"

Kelly laughed as her hands moved up to his chest and slid to his shoulders. "You," she answered.

"Oh, I'm funny am I?" John smiled and leaned down a bit. His hands moved to her side and slipped under her shirt. "Maybe I should see what other sounds you can make." His mouth moved to her neck as his hands moved higher, seeking out more fun places.

"I wish you could be like this when you're awake." John stopped and looked at her, confused. Kelly's hand traveled up to his hair, running her finger along the edge of his hairline. "Moa," she said, pointing to above her. John looked up and spotted the Reach native bird standing a bit away.

John looked back to Kelly and shook his head. "No, this isn't a dream, I am awake. A Moa doesn't mean anything." He buried his face into her shoulder and wrapped his arms around her. He wanted to stay here in our warmth but he could feel cold creeping in. He held on almost desperate to stay there in the peace with her.

"John, wake up." Kelly's voice gently urged him. "John, wake up." Kelly's voice was quiet and her lips pressed against his. John's eyes opened and to Kelly leaning over him. He could have sworn he had been on top of her a moment ago but he didn't care. He was with her and that was what matter. Kelly's arms wrapped around his neck and she leaned so that her chest was resting on his. John was aware of the bare flesh touching flesh and the way that their legs were tangled.

"Do you need something?" John moved his hand down his back, finger tracing from the base of her neck, down her spine, to her buttocks. "I was having a good dream." His finger traveled back up, gently running over the skin. He felt a shiver run up Kelly's spine at his action.

"We need to get to cryo. Our absence won't go unnoticed. Kelly sat up a bit but John's arms suddenly wrapped around her. At the mention of cryo John had felt the cold sneaking in again. Kelly looked down at him and frowned. "What's wrong?"

"I don't want to go into cryo. I don't want to be cold." John pulled her down so that he could bury his face against her throat, trying to soak up her warmth. "I want to be warm, the warm you make me." He held her tight and shifted his leg to trap her more in his grasp. "No," he asserted like a child refusing to go to bed.

Kelly laughed and he soaked it in hungrily. He loved that laugh. It was light and echoed in the empty room. "All right, John, enough messing around. We need to go before we get in trouble." She tried to move again, but John didn't relinquish his hold. "John, you're starting to worry me. You need to let go." There was concern in her voice and her hands gripped his skin a but tighter.

"No," John repeated, but more forcefully. "I want to be warm." He could feel the cold around him, trying to break through the warmth that radiated off of Kelly. "I want to stay with you." John could feel his heart beating faster but it seemed like a bit too much. He started to feel panic, not understanding what was wrong with him. He clung to Kelly, trying to let her heartbeat and the feel of her flesh sooth him but it didn't seem to be working.

Kelly relaxed in his arms and her fingers gently slid into his hair, pushing his head closer. "All right, John. I'll keep you warm. As long as you're with me everything is fine, remember that." John felt her kiss the top of his head as she started to hum in an attempt to sooth him. "You need to wake up, John."

John shook his head. "No, I don't have to." He didn't see why he couldn't sleep for as long as he wanted. He felt fatigue sinking into his muscles and skin, followed quickly by the cold and a slight bit of pain.

"Yes, you do," Kelly asserted. "You need to wake up." Her nails suddenly dug into his scalp and John winced, more surprised by her violence than the pain. "John, wake up!" Kelly's voice was scared and seemed to be drowned out.

John's eyes snapped open and he was looking up to a burning sky. He looked to his side where Kelly was kneeling beside him , in full MIJOLNIR armor. She placed a hand on his armored chest and he set his on hers. John sat up and looked around at the broken city around him. He didn't recognize the area but he knew they were under attack. John forced himself to his feet, Kelly helping him. She assisted him over into a broken village and helped John sit down.

John simply didn't have the energy to stand though he didn't know why. There was no blood on his armor and his HUD didn't indicate any injury. Kelly knelt down beside him and started to check his armor. "What happened?" John asked.

Kelly's shoulders shrugged slightly, the speed with which she did it was impressive as such a small action was difficult in MIJOLNIR armor, even more with how quickly Kelly moved. "You just collapsed," she explained. "Did you hit your head or something to wrong with your armor?"

John shook his head. "I'm fine," he assured her. He tried to stand but didn't have the energy. "I can't move." It frustrated him as they were in combat, he needed to do his part but his body seemed to disagree.

Kelly reached up and removed his helmet. He was going to protest but she leaned in and he knew she was looking at his pupils. She frowned when she didn't find anything. "Maybe something's wrong with your armor." Kelly started to check his armor, looking for anything that was wrong. John tried to move his his limbs were slow, likens was moving in molasses.

He leaned forward and she checked the power pack of his armor. He let her work while he watched the door for any enemies. Glass shattered, a flash of blue went past John's face, and liquid splattered across the side of his face. The liquid was cold, like it had been chilled by ice before he was splashed. He turned to look toward the source and saw movement as well.

John's eyes widened as he saw Kelly gripping the side of her neck, red slipping through her fingers. He didn't know where the strength came from but his limbs responded, moving to the wound and applying pressure. Kelly's own hands moved away and she tried to steady herself against the wall, her legs giving out so she was sitting on the ground. John could see the blood slipping past his hands but if he pressed more she wouldn't be able to breathe and she'd suffocate. He could see the strength leaving her. Her arm went limp leaving a bright red streak of blood down the wall from her hand.

John felt panic and helpless to do anything. "Kelly?" Her helmet turned toward him and she reached up, pulling the helmet free, letting it fall to the floor. John could see her eyes turning pale and her eyes starting to close. "Kelly?!" John moved one hand from her neck to her cheek. "Kelly, stay with me, please." John turned around as he heard his name called. He recognized the voice, it was Cortana. He turned back to Kelly and leaned in close. "Kelly, hold on. Cortana is somewhere nearby. I'll go get her, have her call for help, and you can be evaced."

John started to move away but her hand gripped the wrist on his neck. "No, don't leave." John turned back to her and, moved close. Her voice was weak and her breathing heavy. "I don't want to die alone."

John felt like the air was sucked out of his lungs and he struggled to breathe. He wanted to say something, anything, but he had no voice. John felt her hand touch his cheek, leaving a trail of cold blood on his skin. He gripped her hand with his free one, being sure to keep a hand on the wound. John leaned down and set his forehead agains hers. He looked her in the eyes, horrified by how dull they looked. John pressed his lips to hers. They were cold against his but she returned the action weakly.

When John pulled away Kelly's eyes were closed and she wasn't breathing. There was still blood flowing from the wound but there was no life in the woman in his arms. John set his forehead against hers as his breathing became difficult and started to burn as his heart beat increased. He could hear somewhere far away, Cortana calling for him to wake up. He ignored it, hugging the body of his love as it grew colder. She wasn't there to chase away the cold and it fully assaulted him, as though trying to freeze him.

Cortana shouted again, this time louder. What was when he remembered Linda and Reach. They'd gotten her body to cryo in time and had been able to save her. He reluctantly released Kelly's body, placing a quick kiss on her lifeless lips. "I promise I'm going to save you. Just hold on. I promise." He stood and looked around, setting off in what direction Cortana's voice was coming from. If he got her to call an evac they could put Kelly in cryo and save her, bring her back. He hoped his luck held out, just this once he really needed it.

John's eyes snapped open and he realized nothing was the same as a moment ago. He was in a cryo pod and he cold see Cortana's holographic avatar. He didn't know if he should be happy or disappointed. At least he knew why his skin and lungs were burning, he had damage to his skin because he was in his armor and the material had been frozen to his skin. His heart must be beating so hard because Cortana had given her too much of the stimulants to wake him up. He looked around and then down to his hands, glad to see that they were clean. So it had all just been a dream, in his head. He relaxed, his fears another having failed to save Kelly set aside now that he knew it wasn't true. He would have to examine how much of his reaction was because of the wake from cryo and how much was because of emotional compromise. For now he would find out why he the AI had woken him up, and apparently in a hurry.


	42. Alone

John slipped the last of his reserve ammunition into place, double checking that it was all in the proper locations. He couldn't afford to accidentally grab a clip for his assault rifle when he was actually in need of pistol rounds. This would be one of the biggest challenges that he'd ever faced, and there was a lot at stake. If he failed, the Didact would acquire the Composer; and who knew exactly how much damage he'd do once he got it. John secured his pistol to his hip and picked up his assault rifle. It wasn't in the best shape, so he set to inspecting it; knowing that a jam could mean his death before the job was done. He wouldn't have anyone to watch his back, so he'd have to be able to rely on his weapon. The Master Chief glanced across the room at where the avatar of Cortana was hovering above a terminal. The AI appeared to be talking quietly to herself - simply another grim reminder of how much rampancy had taken its toll. He just let her be and turned back to his weapon. Unlike with his guns, there was no way to fix the damage done to Cortana. And if the AI "jammed" on him in combat, he knew it could be his end and that there would be nothing he could do about it. Her recent outbursts had made him even more aware that such a possibility was indeed probable. Still, a familiar phrase echoed in the back of his mind.

We don't leave teammates behind.

In that moment John would have given anything to have his Spartans beside him. With Blue Team backing him up, the Didact wouldn't stand a chance against him. With them he could probably stop the Forerunner here on Requiem, and keep him from the Composer altogether. John knew that if Will were here he'd be sure to the job got done. He'd never let John down before, and even against a Forerunner he was sure that the odds would be no concern to Will. On Reach he'd fought on and kept the Spartans alive in their entrenched location, despite the members of his group being too injured to move around freely. At a time like this, that sort of determination could sway the fight against the Didact in the Spartans' favor.

John then considered if he should bring a DMR with him as well to deal with the Watchers, as his magnum wouldn't be sufficient if there were more than a few. He could use Linda's sharp eye and precise shots. She could keep the skies clear for him while he dealt with the Knights on the ground and kept the Crawlers under control. He couldn't count the number of times that the female sniper had made impossible shots. Some flying Prometheans would be no problem for her; and knowing Linda, she'd be perched in a spot where they'd never be able to reach her. If she were here right now she'd be sitting off to the side with her sniper rifle set out before her, choosing the best attachments. Unlike him, she would have taken whatever she needed and he wouldn't have argued against it. She knew what was best when it came to long range combat, and he wouldn't want to limit her having what might save their lives. The room would be just as quiet, only with the slight addition of the sounds of Linda cleaning and assembling her rifle with care. Linda had never been big on conversation, but she was still the most trustworthy marksman to have watching your back.

If Fred was here though, he would certainly converse with John - answer his questions as they checked their weapons for any defects. Fred was a good man and a good soldier. The last time John had heard of him was when he was on Earth, and that Fred had taken Will and Linda on a mission. That was years ago now, but John couldn't help but wonder how he'd done. He knew that Fred could be a good leader, but he sometimes thought too much about it and it could cause problems on missions. Still, John had trusted Fred many times with his own team in the field and he'd never disappointed. Fred would also be extraordinarily helpful against the Knights. Just like the larger Prometheans, Fred was most deadly at close range. Even with their flash-stepping ability, Fred wouldn't find fighting the Knights to be a hard task. A few times John had managed to kill Knights at close range, but without a shotgun it was difficult and dangerous. Fred would have found it to be a breeze, being more at home fighting up close with his fists than from a distance. All Spartans could fight proficiently with any weapon at any range, but no Spartan had skill with fists and knives the way that Fred did. John knew that if he had Fred, he would be able to trust the man to handle himself against any enemy; and no matter what the task, he'd be able to accomplish it.

Thinking about Blue Team brought up an odd mixture of emotions within John. He was happy to think of them; remembering their years of training together, all the battles they fought, and all the good times they had. But at the same time it hurt that they weren't here with him now, preparing to face another hard fight with him. John looked to his right side, but right away admonished himself and turned back to examining his weapon. He knew she wasn't there, but he hadn't been able to stop the instinct to look over at where she would have been. The silence of the room drove home her absence most of all. If she were there she would be informing him of everything he needed to know, with no questions asked from him. She knew him better than anyone; she knew what information he would need to hear, what would be pointless to tell him, and what he might find interesting or may matter later. Out of all the Spartans he could have at his back, Kelly was the one that he would have liked to have the most. In combat she was one of the best, and she worked perfectly with him. Her quick reflexes would make short work of any Promethean. Crawlers, even with all their scurrying around, would be easy for her to track. Watchers in the sky would be simple targets for her and her ability to quickly change aim. And Knights would be particularly easy for her, with every one of their tricks being useless against her. Their flash-step would be normal speed to Kelly, their teleportation abilities only a minor inconvenience, and at close range she'd be able to dodge all of their attacks.

It was more than just her skills in combat that made John wish she were there, though. Kelly had always been his right-hand, and he'd been without her for far too long. He was tired, and he would have given almost anything to lean on her just for a moment and take comfort in her support. For years he had trusted Kelly more than anyone else as his best friend, and he'd always kept her close. He wondered for what seemed like the hundredth time if he should have taken Kelly with him on the space op, just before Reach fell. He thought of how much easier it would have been to have her with him on Halo. And for the hundredth time he then dismissed that notion, as he wouldn't have wanted her to have been threatened by the Flood. The cold, hard truth was that he didn't even know for certain if Kelly was alive…but he couldn't even remotely entertain the idea that she wasn't; that she wasn't somewhere out there with the others, waiting for him. He'd only made it through Sam's death because he'd had Kelly to support him, and he didn't think even the other Spartans would be able to console him if Kelly was dead. He quickly forced all of those thoughts out of his mind; otherwise they would consume him and likely cause him to become reckless. He needed to believe that if he made it out of this alive he'd see the Spartans again, and be able to wrap his arms around Kelly and hug her tight. He would do whatever was necessary stop the Didact, no matter the cost - but it was comforting to have a reason to try to survive as well. And leveraging his apparent heroic reputation for a few days with Kelly seemed like as good a reason as any to make it through this. The idea of having time to just lay in bed with her and get some proper sleep, his first real sleep since Reach, was an inviting thought. John felt a warmth in his chest at the idea of holding Kelly close to him, without their armor being in the way. Though he then wondered that if she were here now, would he really let her come with him? If having time to be with her was his reason to survive, it seemed counterproductive to risk the life of the person that goal revolved around. At the same time, he knew Kelly would not accept being left behind simply because he was afraid for her safety. He'd never let their relationship get in the way of completing a mission before, and he wouldn't be able to now…John then chastised himself for again letting his mind wander so far off track. Kelly wasn't here, so this line of thinking was pointless. He returned his focus completely to finishing loading his assault rifle.

A voice in the background then caught John's attention and he looked up, and realized that Cortana's avatar had turned to face him and was speaking to him; but he only heard the last part of what she said. "…Before this is all over, promise me you'll figure out which one of us is the machine."

John just stared at the AI, taken aback by the comment. The words seemed to have come out of nowhere; and it wasn't that what she'd said was particularly philosophical or thought provoking, but rather that he felt hurt by it. He remembered the marines and ODSTs that would call him and the other Spartans "machines" as an insult; intending to imply that they weren't human. He also remembered the slight bump of Kelly's hand that often followed those insults, a silent reminder of every conversation they'd ever had about why such statements were unfounded and untrue. Kelly had always explained it was simply because they didn't know him, and that they only saw the MJOLNIR armor and not the person inside it. But after all that had happened since the events on the Halo, John had come to regard Cortana as his teammate and friend as well - just like his Spartans. So surely the AI knew that he was indeed human, and not a mindless, heartless machine? Cortana had been there when John held Sgt. Johnson's hand as the man died, and she'd been there when he risked everything to go back to Reach and rescue his Spartans even though the planet was overrun. And even now he hadn't given the AI up to Capt. Del Rio to be terminated, even though every instinct he had was telling him that she was not safe to use. Why then would Cortana say such a thing when she should know it was wrong? Was she really so rampant that she had forgotten all those things that he'd done?

It was then that John suddenly came to a realization, one that only added to the already heavy burden resting on his shoulders...Cortana really didn't know anything about him. They had only worked together a brief time; with their mutual trust in each other formed out of battlefield necessity and little else, as he'd been separated from his Spartan teammates again and again. In fact when he thought about it, he couldn't recall ever having a personal or meaningful conversation with the AI. True, she knew everything there was to know about his service record - but that only explained who he was as a soldier, not who he was as a man. Cortana had never trained with him, ate with him, played cards or read with him, or consoled him after the countless hard fights he'd survived during the War. So could he rely on the AI to help him now, when he needed it most, if she truly thought of him as being nothing but a machine too? Though in the end, did he really have a choice? He had no other tools with which to manipulate Forerunner tech. And again, there was still the Spartan credo to consider.

We don't leave teammates behind.

John had never felt so alone in his whole life than he did in that moment. If only Blue Team were with him now...if only Kelly was by his side, her touch reassuring him that what the AI said wasn't true. But they weren't here; the only other presence in the room being Cortana's holographic avatar, which appeared to be waiting for a response to her previous statement. John shifted the gun that was in his hands and remained silent. He would stay true to his word in that he would not simply abandon the AI to be destroyed, but he had no promise to make in regards to what she had said just now - not when the answer to her query should've been clear already. And once again he couldn't help but wonder if he was doing the right thing by taking the AI with him. John wasn't able to give his decision a second thought however, as he saw Commander Lasky enter the docking bay and knew he was out of time.


	43. Leader Talk

John sat in the empty mess hall of Infinity, happy to find one place to have solitude. The one thing that was more difficult to deal with than the Covenant and a living Forerunner was a giant ship with a large number of Spartan IVs, who all wanted a chance to talk to him. He only had peace right now because they were all in training in some sort of holographic simulation room. That meant for now the mess hall was empty of all but him.

"Well, well, the great Master Chief sitting all alone." John looked up to see Palmer walking toward his table. Not a woman he was particularly happy to see. It wasn't that John didn't like Palmer but she could be abrasive and he wasn't in the mood for her kind of attitude. "Why you sitting alone, big man?"

"I wanted some time to myself," John answered simply. "This space was empty." He hoped she'd get the hint and leave him be. He had just lost the last of his teammates, Cortana, and he wanted time to think about his lost friends, all of them.

"Broken up over that AI of yours? You do know she was a program and you can't really date a bunch of code. Well, an egg head can but that's because they can't get real girls. You can get plenty of real girls." There was a bit of a suggestive tone to her words which made him uncomfortable.

"Cortana was my friend, and the last of my friends. They told me about Doctor Halsey, Blue Team isn't on board and I know what that means, they're gone as well, and Cortana is gone. If you don't mind I'd like to have time to myself." John scowled behind his helmet, hoping that being blunt would get her to leave him be.

Palmer didn't even seem to realize. "You are a sulky one. I've served twelve tours during the war, I know what it's like to lose friends. You get used to it, get over it, and make new ones."

"They weren't just friends." John couldn't help the threatening tone in his voice. The idea that some teammates that Palmer maybe knew for a few missions at all was the same as the Spartans, who John knew since he was six, annoyed him. "I lost my best friend in the first year and now I've lost the last of my friends, not to mention my..." John shut his mouth, keeping himself from saying something he'd regret. Though what was there to protect anymore? "I would like to be left alone," he tried again.

Palmer ignored him again. "Tell me about these Spartans." Palmer leaned forward and crossed her arms on the table. "I know who the members of your former team are, and I've always wanted to know more. You answer my questions and I'll answer yours." John frowned but decided he couldn't pass up a chance to get some answers. Because he'd been missing for so long he didn't have access to a lot of systems as they were all classified. John finally nodded, agreeing. "Wonderful, so how about we start with Linda. I heard she was a great sniper but what was she like? I did hear a few rumors about you and her. Any of them true?"

"She wasn't great, she was the best. I've seen her snipe the pilots out of speeding banshees." John remembered First Strike, the mission that had taken Grace and introduced him to Brutes. "As for what she was like, she was cold, distant, but she was still like a sister to me. Linda just worked better on her own, as close to a lone wolf as there was in the Spartans."

"But in the final months of the war, the Halos and the Ark, you did all of that on your own," Palmer pointed out.

"Not by choice. We had to flee Reach and I had to leave all my friends there. Linda was dead in a cryo tube and the other Spartan that had gone on the space op with me was gone. My team was there for First Strike and I couldn't have done it without them. When we got back to Earth I was taken to a ceremony for actions on Halo and from then on the rest of Blue Team was simply deployed somewhere else. We didn't think we'd find a Halo when we chased Regret and when I got back the rest of the Spartans had gone off on a mission without me. I'm not sure if it was luck or not that they weren't with me."

"I get what you mean. The sort of 'if they were with me it would have been easy but they might be dead' dilemma. Well the past is the past and you get to ask a question," Palmer reminded him.

John considered the many questions he had, but he could only ask one of them for now. "The Spartans here are IVs, but my class was IIs. We're there IIIs?"

"Sure were, and they were worse then you guys kidnapped at six. The IIIs were orphans from the war that were trained for way shorter time, some going into the war before they were even teens. They were large classes, and usually sent on sort of suicidal missions. Very few of the hundreds of them that served are still alive." Palmer frowned, obviously disapproving of it. "My turn. Tell me about Fred. He led the Spartans after you. What was he like?"

"Fred was a good man. He would have been the greatest Spartan but he didn't like the focus being on him. He was a good leader but always took it so seriously. Second guessing choices and it would lead to slip ups. He's got a good heart though, was a good friend, and a determined Spartan." John had to admit it felt good to talk about the Spartans. He missed them, and he regretted not getting to say goodbye, but he still enjoyed talking about them. "If there was one person who could lead the Spartans other than me it would be Fred."

"He was a Lieutenant Junior grade when the war ended," Palmer informed him. "He has one of the best records. Even I was impressed, over one-hundred-twenty battles. So he was better than you? Even in intimate situation?" John knew what she was doing, she was trying to flirt but in the sort of crude manner that marines did with other soldiers. It wasn't always serious and although Palmer was suggesting things he didn't feel like she was really trying to hit on him.

John nodded, satisfied with that information. If anyone had deserved and could handle being an officer it was Fred. "Now my question. When I went into cryo we had a truce with the Covenant. What happened?"

"We didn't have a truce with the Covenant, just your buddy the Arbiter. Long story short, they're split. Those that are on the Arbiter's side and want peace and those that still want to kill us. What we found on Requiem weren't Arbiter allies. Now, tell me about your second-in-command, Kelly."

John froze at the mention of Kelly. The enjoyment from talking about his old friends vanished, replaced by the sorrow of the realization he'd never see Kelly again. "I don't want to talk about her."

"Odd, because when I met her she was more than happy to talk about you." John's gaze shot back up to Palmer. She had met Kelly?

"When, where?" John asked, unable keep his voice from being eager. He knew that he was too emotionally compromised by all the loss in order to hide it so he decided not to. Kelly was gone and they couldn't get mad at him for a past relationship. "Please," he added.

"I met her some years back when they were shown the Spartan IVs. From the way she and Lasky talk about you I expected you to be ten feet tall. Or maybe it wasn't height that Kelly had been talking about." Palmer smirked suggestively. "She came in and showed up all of my Spartan IVs." Oddly there wasn't the bitter tone to her voice.

"You seem happy about that," John observed. "What happened?" He admitted to himself that he wanted any information he could get, any hint as to what Kelly had done before whatever had taken her from him for good.

"I met her several times, we sort of became friendly, and she told me all kinds of things when we would talk. She showed up my soldiers the first time I saw her and she was amazing. She told me about this Spartan III she knew who she said was just like you, but was an actual loner. She said that Spartan III was just a kid compared to the Spartan IVs and if that Spartan III could be as good as a Spartan II, then so could my Spartan IVs. We talked about the inequalities in the military and how hard it is to be a female Spartan. She told me some stories about you."

"That was always Kelly's skill. Not her speed but the fact that she was still so human. She always had the right words or actions. She could make friends with anyone. I loved that about her." John turned his gaze to the table. "I loved a lot about her."

"Yeah, I got that feeling from her. There's a way that people talk about those they're screwing, and that was how she was talking. Not to mention she just blankly stared at one of the fours when they tried to hit on her. That sort of forceful 'I'm taken now leave me alone' look." Palmer laughed. "Poor guy was scared silent."

"I've never really thought of Kelly as being scary," John admitted. Though, when he thought of it, if Kelly wanted to she could probably kill him. She was fast enough she could probably stab him before he could react, though he knew she never would.

"Maybe she just isn't scary to you. To a Spartan IV she's a seven-foot-tall, faster than they can understand, walking tank in battle armor. You don't see her as scary because to you she's Kelly, the woman you're in love with. You probably don't have to look up to look her in the eyes, do you?"

"No, I'm taller than her, but she'd never been intimidated by me," John answered.

"Well no woman is ever afraid of the man she's sleeping with, well as long as he's not abusive but I can't see you raising a violent hand against her, not that you could probably touch her," Palmer reasoned.

"I would only ever spar against her, though for that she did have to slow herself or else no one would ever stand a chance." John smiled a bit. It felt good to be focusing on the good times. "Is Lasky ever afraid of you?"

"Plenty, but that's because he's not really a front line guy. He's not afraid that I'll ever turn my skills on him, just sort of not used to how violent I can be against my enemies." Palmer shook her head a bit. "We're we that obvious?"

John shook his head. "He said your first name, and it was the way he said it," John explained. "Though you might want to wear your helmet. Those glances toward Lasky will be harder to notice."

Palmer let out an amused snort. "You know you have a question to ask."

John considered the question that was on his mind and feared asking it. He feared what possible ends they had met so he focused on something else. "How did you get Lasky command of Infinity? Will they find a new Captain or let Lasky keep it?"

"We made our report to FLEETCOM and Lasky put in his objections to Del Rio's orders. When push comes to shove Lasky is a good leader, keeping calm under pressure. He's a bit protective, always telling me to be careful when I go into a fight, but he's the best leader to handle the responsibility of Infinity. I'm sure that they'll recognize his actions and, maybe with the good word of a couple Spartans, they'll realize that he's the right man to command Infinity." John nodded, understanding what she meant. He made a note to mention Lasky's excellent leadership in his report. Now my question," Palmer said as she grinned. "I've had this question for a while and Kelly couldn't answer it. Why didn't you put her in charge of Red Team on Reach?"

John shook his head. "She wouldn't have known why. We often can't see our own faults or what might be possible problems. I split myself from Kelly for the first time in years. She'd always been at my side and I knew that she would be distracted. I know that not having her on my team for the space op felt odd but I put her on the planet because I thought she would be safer there." John tapped his finger on the table. "I'll also admit that I was so used to putting Fred in command he was the obvious choice. Why?"

Palmer shrugged. "How many female leaders can you think of, and I don't mean sit behind a desk leaders, I mean leaders like military leaders?"

John paused for a second and thought it through. "Miranda Keyes, the leader of Black team, and you. I can think of a few marines but I don't remember any of their names."

"Now think of how many male leaders you can think of," Palmer instructed. John thought of Fred, Jerome, Kurt, Keyes, Johnson, Lord Hood, Lasky, Vice Admiral Stanforth, Whitcomb, and himself. "Notice how many more of them there are than the women?" Palmer crossed her arms and scowled. "Notice how big of a difference there is?"

John frowned, not having ever really thought about that. "I never really noticed that. Are you saying you think that there has been discrimination in the UNSC?"

"Kelly told me she didn't think you had ever discriminated but yeah, I'm saying that the way they give out command is biased to your gender," Palmer answered.

"I would never treat the female Spartans differently than the males. I will admit that those given command were a much higher percentage male but that was not the choosing of any of the Spartans. I gave people command based on skill, not gender," John asserted.

"Except for Kelly," Palmer countered. "Didn't want your little rabbit getting too far away? Wanted to keep her close in case you got in the mood?" The Commander grinned.

John was a bit annoyed by the tease. He knew she didn't really mean to insult him but he felt an anger at being accused of only caring about Kelly for her body. "I love Kelly, and I kept her close because that was where she belonged. She was the Spartan I trusted the most at my back, and she was creative, saw the things I might miss. The first time we were on a Covenant craft and we came to a door I was just going to force it open but she thought of using the door controls. That was why I needed her with me. She was the best second-in-command a leader could have, even Fred found it obvious when he made her his Red Two on Reach," John argued. "She deserves to be treated with more respect than to be talked about like I owned her. She was an amazing soldier and an amazing woman you were honored enough to speak to." John didn't known why he didn't just stop himself but the idea of the woman he loved, who he was sure gave her life valiantly in a fight, would be disrespected just wasn't something he could let continue. Palmer was still smiling happily at him and it annoyed him more. "What?"

Palmer shrugged. "Just a bit jealous. I don't think Lasky would ever speak about me with that kind of passion. Kelly is a lucky woman." John froze having caught that one word. She'd said that Kelly was lucky in a present tense, meaning that she was still lucky.

John felt a spike of hope but he pushed it down, knowing it was just one word and it didn't mean anything. "My question," he remembered. He hesitated for just a fraction of a second before pushing forward. "What happened to Blue Team?"

"That's a long story," Palmer said about to start into the story but stopped. She looked over John's shoulder. "You need something, Tom? The Chief and I were just having a moment."

Lasky moved over to the table, looking uncomfortable. "Fleet wants a report from you," he informed Palmer.

Palmer nodded and turned to John. "Maybe they'll finally let us off this ship then you can show me how skilled you are. She told me you weren't any better than any of the other Spartans."

John shook his head. "I'm about average in all areas so I'm one of the most balanced Spartans, and they always said I was the most lucky, but Spartans aren't meant to be alone. Two Spartans will always be better than one, even better if you can have an entire squad," John explained. "Any Spartan will rise to whatever challenge they are up against, the way things worked out it just happened to be me, probably because of my luck."

"What are you two talking about?" Lasky asked.

"Nothing, Tom. I'm going to go make that report." Palmer nodded to John. "Nice talking to you." She stood and started to leave.

"Wait, you didn't answer the question," John reminded her. He wanted to know what had happened to his team. He still didn't have a definitive answer to if they were alive or not.

Palmer didn't stop walking. "Wait till we get to the planet and you have access to the files. You should find out on your own." With that she was gone.

"I'm sorry about her," Lasky spoke up. "She's a bit rough around the edges but overall she's really a nice person. I think she likes you though because she seems to insult you less then when I first met her," Lasky observed.

"That's her being friendly?" John asked. He supposed she had never been outright rude to him. She seemed to just be a marine, one who treated him the same as any other soldier, which he wasn't used to. She'd teased and poked fun at him but only a couple of her comments had upset him.

"Yeah, doesn't always seem friendly but she doesn't mean most of it. You learn her attitude and humor and it becomes more obvious," Lasky explained. "So what didn't she tell you?"

"She didn't tell me if someone very important to me was alive or not," John answered.

"Well once we get down to Earth I'm sure they'll catch you up on everything and answer any questions you have," the Commander assured him.

"I hope so, sir," John turned his gaze to the table. "Is there anything else, sir?"

"No, I'm going to go see how the sweep is going. See if we can get off this ship by time soon." Lasky moved away and John was left with his thoughts and memories. He hoped beyond what was logical that his luck had held out and they were alive. After all, he still had a few promises he hadn't kept.


	44. Challenge

John pulled off his shirt and tossed it into the locker. Today's exercise had been longer than normal and it had left John tired. He looked over as Fred entered and sat down, removing his boots and then putting them into the locker.

"Today was pretty tough." Fred looked over to John. "I almost had you beat during the race." Fred had ended up right behind John in the race, though they'd all come miles behind Kelly as they always did.

"You could have beaten me." John sat down on the bench and removed his own boots before putting them in his locker. "I don't think you put enough effort in. There's nothing wrong with winning every once in a while." John smiled a bit. "Either that or I'm just naturally better at everything than you are."

"You aren't better at everything." Fred frowned at the other male trainee. "I'm better than you at some things."

"Give me one example." John was confident that he couldn't. He knew Fred, he'd beaten him at every physical challenge, every mind game, everything.

Fred hesitated for a moment before he spoke. "Linda says that I'm the best kisser."

John frowned, looking to Fred. "She said the same thing about me."

"Well it can't be true for both of us." Fred removed his shirt and put it away in the locker. "Wait, you've been kissing Linda?"

"Yeah, but it seems I'm not the only one." John frowned, not liking that. "Either way, it doesn't count as apparently Linda lies."

"It does too count. Just because she lied to you doesn't mean that she lied to me." Fred wasn't going to let it pass. He wanted to be good at one thing, wanted to be better than John at one thing.

"Listen, we can't take Linda's word for anything, so we can't say who it is that she lied to." John paused trying to think of a way that they would be able to test which was better. "We'd have to find an impartial judge who can tell us who is better."

"Well we don't really have one of those sitting around." Fred scowled and scratched the back of his neck. "Well I don't' know how we can do it."

John shifted hesitantly. "Well, we could do it like a sparring match." Fred frowned at him confused. John sighed and turned to Fred. "We have only two people in the room who could judge who's better." Fred didn't understand and John seemed to ignore it. He leaned in and pressed his lips to Fred's.

It took Fred a moment once their lips had touched to realize what was going on. They were the only people there and the only ones that could be the judge. They'd have to just outdo each other. Fred returned the kiss and the two of them started their competition.

John's tongue snaked out, forcing its way into Fred's who returned the action. Their tongues fought as they tried to outdo each other's skill. One of Fred's hands had moved to the back of John's neck, pulling him closer. John forced Fred back until the other trainee's back hit the bench below them. His hands were on Fred's sides as he pressed his chest against the man under him.

"I always knew that John would be a top." The two trainees froze in their actions at the voice. They broke the contact between them and looked over to find Kelly, Kathleen, and Linda watching them. "Oh no, don't stop." Kathleen waved at them, readjusting her video recorder. "Just pretend that we're not here."

"You have to give me a copy of that." Kelly grinned beside the blond haired trainee. "I am so glad you had that thing on you."

John quickly got off of Fred and moved several feet down the bench from him. "No, no, get back up close." Kathleen tried to physically force the two of them back together. "Come on, I didn't get any good shots from the side. Fred, you get on top this time."

Fred glanced toward John. "She'd work." John paused and then nodded. With that Fred turned to Kathleen and pulled her to him. Their lips collided and Fred pulled her closer to him as his tongue invaded her mouth. After five seconds he broke away from her and she stood, angry at him. Fred ignored her, turning to John. "Beat that."

The squad leader took the challenge, standing up and moving to Kathleen. She was just about to tell him off when John's hands cupped her face and his lips met hers. The kiss started out gentler and John's tongue slid into her mouth without much fight. He too pulled away after five seconds.

Kathleen looked between the two trainees and then back to the other two women. "So who was better?" Fred finally asked.

Kathleen frowned at the both of them. "Will." With that she turned and led the women out of the locker room.

John stared at the door that they'd gone through and then looked back to Fred whose head was now resting against his locker. John sat down beside him and stared at the metal in front of him. John decided to leave him be and instead finished undressing to take his shower.


	45. Halo 4

Kelly ran through the forest, rather annoyed by it all. The Spartan IIs had been sent out from the Infinity to check out the area and when those things had attacked, she got separated from the rest of the Spartan IIs. She was making her way through the forest, trying to find a way to get away from the teleporting enemies. To her it was sort of cheating. She got away or attacked enemies based on speed. She was sure the only reason they were able to keep up with her were their odd teleporting ability.

Kelly reached a sort of clearing, that was a much of a clearing as it could be. It was really just a space that there were no trees on the ground, but the trees above still covered the area with their leaves above. One of the teleporting enemies appeared before her, but its actual reflexes weren't fast enough. She ducked under it and moved around the foe. She darted out of the way of a second, but it left her too focused on them and she tripped over something. Kelly fell forward but managed to roll to her feet.

She stopped and looked back at what she had tripped over. For a moment she thought she knew what it was, but she couldn't believe that it was what she thought. What she did recognize was the object beside the mass. She picked it up and the metal parts assembled into a triangle like gun. She fired on the enemies, breaking one of them apart. The second teleported up to her and she leaned back a bit as the halves of its face split apart to reveal the screaming fire skull inside. Kelly reacted right away, slamming her fist into the skull. The thing fell back, and she fired. Her hand didn't hurt, so she had no idea what the skull was but it hadn't hurt her.

With the two enemies dead she took a moment to look closer at what she'd tripped on. Kelly kept the gun in hand but knelt beside the mass, hand reaching out to the green metal. She pushed on it and the person rolled over. She stared at him for a moment, not believing that it was actually him. Kelly glanced around and then picked him up, carrying him to somewhere safer.

John's eyes slowly opened, staring up at into the darkness. He couldn't see anything and he wondered if something was wrong. He couldn't see his HUD so he worried that he'd lost his sight, until his eyes adjusted and he could see what looked like stone above him. He looked to his sides, trying to figure out where he was. From the looks of it he was in a cave, his helmet sitting to his right. He reached over for it and rolled over, trying to get up. He stopped though as he looked to the front of the cave and saw a figure sitting there.

The Spartan looked at him and he couldn't believe it. John slipped on his helmet and stood, moving over to the other Spartan. He glanced down at the forerunner weapon sitting in the soldier's lap and then back up to the reflective visor. "You stole my gun."

"You weren't using it." John closed his eyes and focused on that voice. That clear sweet voice that he'd feared he'd never hear again. "Does your head hurt?" She moved over on the rock she was using as a seat and John sat.

"No, my head's all right. I don't understand though why I'm not dead." John didn't understand why it was that he hadn't died. There had been so many of them, they could have killed him. Then why hadn't they? John turned his attention instead to the woman beside him. He shifted just a bit, bumping his shoulder against hers. "So, have I been gone long?"

John was surprised as her hand moved over to settle on his, though she wasn't looking at him. "It's been five years since I've seen you." She paused and John watched her, unable to see her face behind her helmet. "I'm glad you have you back. To a point where words don't really seem to do the feeling justice."

John smiled a bit. It had been a while since he'd smiled, but right here, knowing she was still alive and that somehow, though all of it she'd been able to find him on this god forsaken planet, when he should be dead a hundred times over, it made him smile. "I'm glad to see you alive, Kelly."

She turned her head toward him, and he could visualize the smile under her helmet. Odd how her face stuck with him, even after all this time. She reached up, facing the palm side of her hand to her helmet. She placed her fingers against the part of her helmet where he mouth would be, then repeated the action on John's helmet. "I knew you weren't dead."

John hesitated for a moment before he gave the same motion as her, pressing his hand to his helmet and then hers. "I'm not that easy to get rid of." He reached over and took the gun from her lap. "We shouldn't stay still. Those things are still out there."

Kelly nodded. "We should find the other Spartans. I can be your rabbit, as long as you've got my back." Kelly started to walk and then stopped. "You do have my back, right?"

John raised the gun and nodded to her. "Always." Kelly then jogged off and John ran after her. Whatever it was that was on this planet, they could face it, and together they'd beat it.

Author's Note: I'm putting this one out in celebration of making 117 chapters. This story is based off of the gameplay released at E3, at least what I can gain from the video. If the actual game screws up and doesn't put Blue Team in it, you can expect to be seeing a story from me where the game is done properly, with Blue Team in it. For now, I cross my fingers and hope 343 doesn't screw up. I know this one isn't a big emotional reunion between them, but they are Spartans in combat, emotions have no place there. Anyway, I hope you enjoy.


	46. Forward Unto Dawn Part IV

Kelly sat on her cot, cleaning her rifle carefully. The last mission hadn't gone all that well and she was trying to keep her mind off of exactly how badly it had gone. The Covenant had killed almost everyone on the planet, only three people having survived. Still, it could have been worse. John had gone off to retrieve the survivors while she had secured their escape. They almost lost all the survivors, and Kelly had almost lost John. It was never safe for a Spartan to take on a hunter on his own, and John had done it to try to save the survivors.

John moved into the barracks, moving to his cot beside hers. They always sat so that they could face each other. It wasn't that they really did it on purpose, just that it was habit. Kelly watched him as he checked over the repaired plate of his armor. She opened a private channel with him so they could speak openly. "Going to tell me what's got you upset?" She'd known it as soon as he'd refused to leave the survivors. Three people weren't worth his life, not to mention the way he'd acted at the end of the mission. He'd been tense, distant, and his actions toward the one cadet had been unusual.

John watched her for a moment before speaking. "It's against regulation to take off your helmet before fully being out of a combat situation."

Kelly rolled her eyes. "I usually take my helmet off on the pelican ride back. You've never gotten mad about it before. Now, either answer the question or I'll start scolding you about not taking me with you." Kelly set her rifle to the side. "I could scold you for a good couple hours about you shouldn't run off without me because bad things happen where you need backup."

John paused again and Kelly could tell he was trying to decide how to respond. "I needed you to secure the pelican. If I got them out we needed a way off, and you were who I trusted to do that."

"No," Kelly snapped. "Fred could have just as easily secured the pelican and you could have taken me. It wasn't a job for more than one Spartan. If you'd taken me with you we could have saved all of the survivors, maybe even been able to get there faster and save more." Kelly leaned forward a bit, putting her forearms on her knees. "If I had been there we could have taken down that hunter with ease, and the cadet wouldn't have to have put himself in danger. I could have been your rabbit like I'm supposed to. That girl wouldn't have died because we would have been able to protect her and move faster."

John's head lowered and she could tell that her words had hit a sore spot. "Is that what has you upset? The girl dying?" Kelly didn't understand that. They'd watched a lot of people die due to the Covenant, why did this one matter?

John looked away from her shaking his head slightly. "It was because of the other cadet. The one that was nearly killed by the hunter." His gaze returned to her and his hand twitched, fighting the desire to reach out to her. There were other Spartans in the barracks so it wouldn't be appropriate and he held back. "When the girl died he was heartbroken. He'd been doing so well until that point, and the panic he showed when he realized she was hurt." John's fist clenched a bit. "Sometimes I understand why it is that relationships aren't allowed."

Kelly flinched a bit at his words. She was aware he sometimes had doubts about them allowing themselves to be in a relationship but it still hurt to hear him voice those doubts. She didn't say anything, not knowing what to say. She'd learned a while ago that it was better to say nothing in these situations. It prevented him from saying more painful thing on accident and saved them time.

John must have notice her flinch. "I'm not second guessing anything," he clarified. Kelly relaxed a bit, at least glad he wasn't rethinking them being together. "They weren't trained like us. We can put aside our emotions for the mission, but normal soldiers can't. That girl meant a lot to him, and when she died he became reckless. He decided to play rabbit without my agreement. I was going to take care of it alone but he distracted it for me. It was a reckless thing for him to do and could have killed him. I know he wouldn't have done that if she'd still been alive."

Kelly smiled behind her helmet. "Well then I'm glad he did such a stupid thing. Maybe the woman he loved was gone, but he helped save the man I love. If you'd fought that hunter alone with no weapon and only a grenade then you might have died, or at least would have been badly injured."

John didn't reply, just watched her. She wasn't sure exactly what was going through his head. It was obvious he was thinking as he was holding still, watching her intently. If his helmet was off she'd be able to tell more what he was thinking but with the reflective visor between them she couldn't get any hint to what was on his mind.

"What was with that rock, anyway? The thing that you gave the cadet on our way off the planet." Kelly hadn't even been sure what it really was. She'd only seen him pass it to the young man.

"It was a bit of hunter armor from the one he helped me kill. I thought he would like a memento of it. He did well, acted like a true soldier. It's also the day he lost someone important to him." John depolarized his visor and Kelly could see his face. There was a thoughtful and sad look in his eyes. "I've felt the fear of losing you, and I understood how he felt." John flexed his hands a bit but his gaze didn't move from her. "I worry that one day I won't be able to separate my emotions. Is the emotion worth the possible pain with a dangerous job like ours?"

"It's important for a dangerous job like ours," Kelly answered. "We can say that the reason we fight is for humanity, but what does that really mean? When you think of why you fight, what do you think of?"

John furrowed his brown and thought. "I think of the survivors on the planets, of the soldiers that fight to try to save people, of the other Spartans, and of you."

Kelly depolarized her own visor so he could see her smile at him. "When you think of why you fight each battle, during the battle, what do you think about? Why do you fight?"

"Survival is a natural reaction. I don't think about it, my consciousness demands it," he answered. He looked away for a moment and then back to her. "Though when I think of what I have to survive for I think of the other Spartans and you."

"I don't know about you, John but for me humanity is a big thing. Hard to really get motivated to put myself in danger for. If this were a fight where distancing ourselves from what we are fighting for would be an ideal then just fighting for humanity, but it's not enough. We have to fight to save every person, for humanity, but we need more motivation than just that. For me having a face I can think of when I think of what I'm fighting for it makes me fight stronger, with more purpose. It's a bit harder to be motivated for humanity as a whole, but each time I go out there and fight I can think of the man I love. Know that I'm fighting for him."

John polarized his visor again and Kelly frowned, missing being able to see her face. She polarized her own visor. He remained silent and Kelly accepted the fact that he wasn't going to continue the conversation. She just wanted him to know that he was her motivation, and that would be enough. If thinking of humanity in an abstract sense for him then that was his choice. The silence settled over them and Kelly was left figuring out what she could do to fill her time.

Kelly was a bit surprised when John spoke. "I promise that I won't run off alone if I can help it. I'll always take someone with me."

Kelly let out a long breath. It wasn't exactly the promise she wanted, but it would have to do. "All right, though I hope that it will be me you take with you. After all I fight for you, I'd like to insure that you survive."

Kelly could tell that John wasn't exactly happy with her words. "The mission always comes first. If I have to die for a mission to succeed—"

"Then I would die instead," Kelly cut in. John's fist clenched. She wasn't sure it if was because she was insinuating that he meant enough to her she'd sacrifice herself for him or if he didn't like her cutting in. Kelly didn't know which it was but she decided to assume it was the former and countered it. "Logically speaking you are leader of the Spartans. For the mission my life is more expendable than yours. If someone needs to be sacrificed then it should be me. You'll need to lead the team."

John's hands relaxed and Kelly guessed that she'd chosen correctly. John nodded. "Logically you are correct." His voice was relaxed and Kelly smiled. John stood up and Kelly watched him. "Logic isn't everything," he added. John turned and walked toward the door, heading off to do something, though Kelly wasn't sure what. She stood up as well and decided to head to the labs, see if she could get a new helmet. The one she'd had on her last mission just didn't suit her.


	47. Tradition

John moved into the Spartan barracks, looking for a particular person. He had a while before he was set to be put into cryo. The Spartans were supposed to stay awake and help with repairs then go into cryo when they were done. That would be some time though and he knew how he wanted to spend the time he had before he was given new orders. After a hard loss like the one they'd just suffered there was only one thing that tended to make things easier. He found her sitting on her cot, an odd object in her hands. From the looks of it the thing was a stick but it seemed to have something carved into it.

He moved through the barracks and over to his own cot. "What is that?" he asked, frowning at the object. "Where did it come from?" He sat down, leaning forward so his forearms were resting on his knees. "Is it your new Grunt whacking stick?"

"It's not a cudgel, you barbarian." Kelly shook her head, letting out a long breath. "It's a gift, from one of the techs on the ship. He gave it to me as a Christmas gift."

"You mean that tech that watching you when you're getting into, or out of, your armor?" John didn't like that man. He didn't like the way he looked at her or the way he only watched her when she was armoring up. "You know he doesn't have pure intentions."

Kelly raised an eyebrow. "And your intentions are so pure?" She spun the stick in her hands. "The guy said it was a traditional gift from his homeworld. A lucky charm that they give to friends. It's supposed to grant the receiver good luck for a year," Kelly explained.

"We could use some good luck." John considered moving over to her cot, making his intentions clearer. "I forgot that it was this close to Christmas. Do you have something you'd like from me this year?"

"The same thing I want every year," Kelly answered. They both knew she wasn't going to get it, but there was nothing else that Kelly wanted. "It won't really matter. We'll be in cryo anyway so we can't celebrate it. Not to mention holidays have never really been a Spartan thing."

"Holidays are supposed to distract us from everything else in the world, be a time of peace. Maybe they should be a Spartan thing." John reached over and she let him take the stick. He looked over the carved letters, not recognizing the language. "What does this say?"

"I don't know, he didn't tell me. I suppose I could use a translation softwear on it but I don't think it really matters. It's just a nice gift that will probably sit at the bottom of my footlocker for the rest of its existence. I mean, it's a gift from a random person, not really something I'm going to treasure." Kelly stood and John watched her. She held out her hand and he passed her the stick to her. She moved over to her footlocker and put it away.

John stood and moved over to her. "I really think we should celebrate holidays, at least some of them. We may not be awake for Christmas but maybe we can still celebrate it. Maybe not gifting but we could still have a meal with all of the Spartans at once. A tradition but not the major ones."

Kelly smiled and stood, crossing her arms. "So you mean traditions like Christmas dinner and kissing under the mistletoe?"

John took a step closer to her. "Those are the ideal traditions to follow." He smirked at her.

"Ha, told you that your intentions weren't pure," Kelly teased, uncrossing her arms. "If we celebrate Christmas then we should celebrate Easter as well."

"You only want to celebrate Easter because it involves chocolates." John reached out and his hand gently touched her side before he realized what he was doing and retracted his hand. "My intensions are pure. Is a kiss really indecent? Should I be the one that considers that obscene, not you?"

"I figured it was impure for you, you're version of suggesting that we make love right here in the barracks." Kelly smiled and reached up, placing a hand on his cheek. "Though if you don't consider it overboard, I think this once we can forgive the fact we don't actually have any mistletoe." She leaned toward him and he met her half way, arms wrapping around her waist as their lips touched. When they broke apart Kelly let her head rest on his chest. "Merry Christmas, John."

"Merry Christmas, Kelly," John said as he held her tight to him.


	48. Find Her

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Based of the E3 Halo 5 trailer

John checked over his armor and looked over his weapons. He didn't know yet what might be ahead of him but he'd chosen some of the more reliable weapons. A magnum, assault rifle, a DMR, and a shotgun. John had thought of taking heavy artillery but he had decided that a rocket launcher or Spartan laser would be more of a burden than assistance. He had yet to meet an enemy his chosen weapons weren't effective against. His armor was newly upgraded to Mark VII systems and he hoped they would be enough. John had been given a rundown of the new features and upgrades but he would have to adapt to them in the field as he went. As he understood it this armor was the final form of the MIJOLNIR, what Doctor Halsey had always wanted it to be so her trust it.

"Are you sure that these weapons will be effective?" Captain Lansar said as she moved into the room. The woman had short cut blond hair and dark brown eyes. There was a scar on her right cheek and her face showed signs of aging despite how young she actually was. "We don't know what's down there."

"She's down there," John replied, reaching out and retrieving the data chip from the table. Someone had put a chain on it but there was no reason to have done so. The only thing he wore around his neck were his own dog tags, and if he tried to sit it under his suit as well it would be uncomfortable. He looked to the Captain who was watching him. There was a slight look of frustration which was normal as people couldn't tell his emotions behind his helmet. "None of these weapons have ever failed me."

The Captain nodded and looked toward a screen showing data on the planet below. "We can't get too close to the planet. The last ship that got close was shot down. The planet was quarantined until further notice, probably until Infinity can come smack it down if it attacks." The captain sighed and shook her head. "I'm probably going to lose my ship for this, once they catch up with us. I hope that this is worth it."

John looked down to the data chip. "As long as your communications officer is correct. He's sure about the signature on the transmission?"

"Communications officer Malik is the best there is. He is the one that translated the signal and figured out its source. It came through on a Forerunner channel from the planet, just barely anything there, but he caught it. I would stake my life on him being right."

John nodded, satisfied with her answer. "Then it will be worth it," he assured her, thing running absently over the token in his hand. As long as there was a chance he could save her it would be worth it.

"Well...we'll drop you whenever you're ready," the Captain said, a bit out of place, unsure of how to excuse herself. It wasn't uncommon as even Captains seemed to feel outranked by him. He wasn't even an officer but they saw him as a legend, which elevated him to a position akin to the Arbiter in the Sangheili leadership structure.

"I appreciate this. I can't abandon her, not after everything that we've been through. I owe you a personal favor for this." John said, turning his gaze to the Captain. There were no words for how much it meant to him she was putting her career on the line to help him save her.

The woman smiled and shook her head. "Actually, I'm paying back a favor," she corrected him. "You probably don't remember, after everything you've done, but I was just a pilot at the time. My bird was shot down and you Spartans saved me. I made a request and you agreed to it." John cocked his helmet to the side, not quite remembering. "I asked you to be sure my squad, who I was going to pick up, made it out alive. Id lost radio contact with them and i never would have forgiven myself if my mistake had cost them all their lives. When they got back to the ship there was only one casualty and they said you made sure they were my squad. You told them I was all right and what had happened." The Captain sighed and clasped her hands behind her back. "You probably don't remember."

"Omega Squad?" John asked. The Captain looked to him, surprised. "Pinned down by a group of sniper Jackals, but we had a better sniper. Got them out of there before the Wraiths showed up. I remember them."

The Captain smiled and John could see how genuinely happy she was. "You actually remember them." Her voice gave away how amazed she was that he remembered her team. John nodded and the Captain stood up a bit taller. "Well, I'll leave you to your final preparations. Just signal when you're ready to head down. Good luck, Master Chief."

With that the Captain took her leave. John waited until the door was closed before he let himself prepare himself mentally for what he was about to do. He wasn't supposed to be here, he wasn't even supposed to have left Earth, but when he'd heard they'd gotten a signal and he'd found out her signature had been tagged to it he knew he couldn't stay away. He had to find her, had to save her. He gripped the data chip tightly and closed his eyes.

He couldn't fail, not this time, not again. He had to protect her, rescue her, no matter what the cost. John slipped the chip into a pouch on his belt and turned toward his weapons. He grabbed a cloth cloak and started to wrap up his weapons. It would keep them close and made them easier to carry. The cloak would also come in hands based off of the environmental scans of the planet. From the scans the planet had large portions that were desert and not only could he use the cloak to protect his armor from harsh sandstorms which might damage the electronics. He could also use it for camouflage in the desert as his green armor might stand out if there were any local species that might find him to be food. John secured all the weapon and extra ammunition for all of them. He wasn't sure yet what he would meet or if he even had a way off planet once he got down there. He made sure his weapons were wrapped up tight and let himself have a moment to think. John pulled his helmet off and set it on the table beside the bundle. He looked to the information on the screen. "I know you're down there," he muttered. "I can feel it." He smiled just a bit. "We always had that special bond, and I can feel it now." He was aware of how stupid it was to be talking to nothing but he felt like she could hear him, like she always could. It was as though he could always feel her, always hear her, like their minds were linked. Science said that wasn't true and logic said it wasn't true but he didn't care. It was like his instincts, just there, guiding him.

"I failed you the last time I saw you. I didn't protect you, just let you slip away. I won't let that happen this time. I promise I'll get you back, protect you. Even if most of the time I need you to protect me." He reached over, grabbing his helmet again. He felt a new confidence, a determination to not fail again. He hesitated for a moment and slipped his fingers under the under layer of his armor, grabbing the chain, and pulling his tags out. There were three tags on his chain and he passed over the two that were his identification. He focused instead on the one that had been hand made. Palmer had given it to him before Infinity had left on their mission. On one side she had scratched on the infinity symbol and on top of it had scratched 'IV'. She'd told him it was a symbol that he had the loyalty of Infinity, and the Spartan IV. He flipped it over and ran his thumb over the other image. When he'd asked Palmer about it she'd only grinned and walked away. John just stared at it for a moment before he slipped the tags back under his suit and slipped his helmet back on.

John tucked the bundle of weapons under his arm and moved out of the room toward the drop pods. "I know you've waited for me, too long for me, to come get you, but just wait a little longer." He felt stronger than ever as he walked down the hallway. "I promise I won't leave you again, I won't abandon you. I won't let you suffer alone." He reached the pod and put his bundle inside. John moved into the pod and took a deep breath. He hit the seal button and his hand went to his chest where he knew his tags were under the armor. "I'm coming for you, Kelly." He thought of the rabbit scratched onto the metal. "I'm coming, Bunny."


	49. Zip Me

Kelly's eyes slowly opened as she came awake and she was brought out of cryo-sleep. She flexed her hands and toes as she waited for the lid of her tube to finish opening. She climbed out of the chamber and leaned over, letting the clear liquid drain from her mouth. Some of the fluid caught in her throat however and she coughed, choking slightly. Suddenly a hand smacked her on the back and the lodged goo came loose, allowing her to spit it out. The hand remained on her back and she looked over to see John beside her.

"Can't keep your hands off me, can you?" She teased, straightening up. Her memories of their time together before going into cryo were still fresh, and his touch brought them all back.

"You're a hard woman to keep my hands off of," John admitted. "Did you sleep well?" His hand moved over her skin lightly before he removed it completely.

"Could have been better," Kelly answered. "I was cold, and I could have used another body to warm me up." Kelly smirked and started to walk toward the showers. She could hear John's steps following behind her, matching her pace as best he could. She slowed just a bit to make it easier on him and give him the chance to catch up if he wanted to. He remained behind, staying exactly at pace with her. "Like the view?" she teased.

John didn't respond, but she hadn't expected him to. This was a rather public place and John was always cautious. She didn't mind it; she'd grown used to how careful he was and knew it came from a good place. He wanted to continue their relationship, but didn't want to risk any trouble for either of them by making it public. She didn't really need him to answer anyway, the fact that he was following her said it all.

They entered the showers to rinse off, where Fred was already scrubbing the last of the cryo-fluid out of his hair. Like flipping a switch, John went into leader-mode. "Fred, once you're in your armor I want you to go down to the hangar and check over whatever our transport is." Fred nodded and Will entered from the cryo-tube side of the showers. "Will, be sure to gather equipment and weapons for the whole team once you're armored up. Take Linda with you."

"Yes sir," Will said as he moved to one of the showers.

"You don't get a job?" Fred asked, looking to Kelly. "Why do we have to do the heavy lifting and you get to sit around?"

"Kelly will have her assignment once we know more out our mission and I can properly allocate her to the best position. Namely the one we need done quickly." John stood opposite Kelly, back turned to her as he washed away the fluid.

"Besides, it's like giving us a head start," Will spoke up, grinning at Kelly. "If he doesn't hold you back from your assignment for a bit, you'll be left standing outside our Pelican tapping your toe while you wait for us to finish." Kelly smiled at the joking compliment.

"You know you could just slow down," Fred suggested. Kelly turned to him, raising an eyebrow. John looked over at him as well, a perplexed look on the Spartan leader's face. "What? Would it be that hard?"

Will burst into laughter and they all turned to him. "If Kelly slowed down it would tear a hole in space and time, opening a black hole in the center of the ship. Though on the plus side, the Covenant would probably be swallowed up."

"So would the planet," Linda spoke up as she moved into the showers to join them.

"At least we have a final fail-safe for winning the war then," Kelly said casually as she washed the fluid from her hair. "If things get really dark, I'll sit down and just be lazy."

"Hey, we want to destroy the Covenant, not the entire galaxy," Will teased.

Fred chuckled and turned off his shower, moving toward the exit. "I'll be sure you know which bird is ours," he said before disappearing around the corner.

Kelly finished washing up and shut off her shower, heading toward the exit. As she left she heard another shower turn off and footsteps following her. She moved to her locker, pulling out her towel and starting to dry off. John moved to the locker beside hers and did the same. Kelly had almost completely dried off when she decided to have a little fun. She tossed her towel over John's head and rubbed it vigorously against his hair. When she finished she just left it draped over his face as she turned to her locker to pull out the under layer of her armor.

A towel suddenly landed on Kelly's head, over her hair. John dried her hair quickly and took his towel back. Kelly smiled at him before she sat down to start putting on her suit. She glanced at John beside her as he finished drying off and decided to try something else. As she was slipping the suit up her leg, she purposefully brushed her elbow against John's leg, knowing it would draw his attention. She slipped it up her legs and stood, pulling it up to her waist, wiggling her hips a little just for show. "I think I like these new suits a bit better." Kelly glanced at John and he quickly looked away, obviously trying to keep her from catching him staring. Kelly smirked, satisfied with his reaction. "It's just more form-fitting and feels more flexible." The under layer of their armor had recently been made to be slimmer and more comfortable. Kelly slipped her arms through the sleeves and pulled it all the way up.

"It is an improvement," John agreed, pulling his own suit up to his waist. He adjusted it slightly at the groin so it was more comfortable. "Though maybe a little too form-fitting," he added, and started to pull his suit up the rest of the way.

Kelly slipped her suit on completely and she adjusted the chest of it so it was in its proper place. She got an evil idea and turned to John, subtly pulling her suit a bit out of alignment. "It seems crooked. Does it look crooked to you?"

John turned to her and his gaze fell to her hands that were fiddling with the chest of her suit. There was a noticeable pause, at least one Kelly noticed, before John's gaze rose to her face. "It does look crooked." Kelly let out a frustrated sound as she continued to halfheartedly adjust the material. She knew John, knew the conflict in his head between not touching her and helping her. He finally made his decision and his hands moved to the front of her suit, helping to adjust it properly into place. Kelly was surprised to feel him move it perfectly into position with ease; in fact it felt better than when Kelly had it adjusted properly the first time. "More comfortable?" John asked, his hands lingering on her body half way up her torso.

"It's perfect," she informed him. "I'll have to have you do that every time. It feels better than when I fitted it." Kelly turned around so he could see the seal of her suit. "Can you zip me up?" John grabbed the zipper and tugged it up, the back of his fingers trailing over her skin. "Thanks."

John turned around so she could see the open seal of his suit. "Would you mind returning the favor?" Kelly zipped up the back of his suit, pausing for a second and placing a quick, light kiss on the space between his shoulder blades. John turned to scold her, but Kelly had already turned and walked away, heading to where they would armor up.


	50. One Step Ahead

John stood still as the machinery removed his armor pieces one by one. Usually there would be other Spartans in the room but he'd been ordered to the bridge to give a report so they were all already gone. As the cryo bay had been damaged in the last battle the Spartans had several days they would be out of cryo, something John was fairly familiar with as crews often found that they were helpful with repairs. John didn't look forward to the likely week ahead in which they would be repairing the ship but he would look forward to the week of time with his fellow Spartans. In combat he sometimes had to send most of them out in other teams to take care of tasks. He'd like having some time with them all around.

The last of his armor was removed and John stepped down from the platform. He moved to his locker on the side of the wall and pulled it open. John was surprised to see his clothing folded up at the bottom of his locker, stacked in the exact order he preferred to get dressed. He smiled slightly as he grabbed the underwear off the top and started to get dressed. Once he was dressed he headed to the dining hall for something to eat, though he was already late for the standard meal. The halls were fairly empty as most other soldiers would be eating or working on repairs making his travel easier. People always got out of the way for a Spartan but it was still easier if there was no one in the way. The dining hall on the other hand was full, every seat taken. John spotted the Spartans, their height making them easy to spot. He noticed Kelly motioning him over and he spotted the tray beside her.

John crossed the room and slipped into the seat at the table, pleased to see that Kelly had gotten him all of the optional foods that he liked most. She'd even gotten him each utensil that he needed and had put them in the food he preferred to use it on. Under the table John shifted his leg and bumped her knee, a private motion of thanks for the effort. John happily sat and ate, enjoying the conversation between the other Spartans. In combat they couldn't chat like this so it was a rare sight he appreciated. It was calming to hear the idle chatter and Kelly making the occasional snappy comment that made him smile. John had always enjoyed just listening to conversations like this. Luckily every time another Spartan tried to pull him into the conversation Kelly would speak up and speak for him. He didn't mind, she was correct in what she'd say and the others seemed not to question her answering for him.

The others left one by one as they finished their meals and left, eventually leaving John alone as he'd arrived late. He wasn't comfortable sitting alone and he'd appreciated that Kelly had stick around past finishing her meal for some time before she too left. Once he'd finished his meal he'd realized that he didn't have anything particular to do. He considered his options before he settled on a light workout before a shower and then some rest. He would skip the workout but he wasn't tired, still feeling like he was in combat mode, something that was usually fixed with a good freeze. He hoped he could work it off as he wouldn't be going into cryo for some time.

When he reached the gym he wasn't surprised to find Kelly at the weights area, doing curls. What he was surprised to find was his chosen weights set out for him and a quick glance showed that the machines he'd planned on using were all set to the proper weight for him. He moved over to the bench beside Kelly and picked up the weights.

"I'm thinking of a number between one and ten. What is it?" He asked as he settled onto the seat and started to lift the weights.

"Seven," Kelly answered almost immediately. "And the second number is four."

John was a bit struck, surprised that she'd guessed the first number but more surprised that she'd guessed the second without him even prompting her to guess. "Has all the exposure to plasma and radiation caused you to gain telepathy?"

Kelly laughed and it was a good honest laugh, something that was rare or curt on the battlefield. "John, I can't read your mind."

"Are you sure? You've been a step ahead of me since we got onto the ship," John explained. "Are you sure you can't read my thoughts? What am I thinking right now?"

"I can't read your mind," Kelly asserted again. "I just know you John. I've been your best friend since we were six. After that many years you get to know a guy, his habits, what he likes, and his patterns. And it's not like if I had been delayed you wouldn't know exactly what I was planning for the rest of the day."

John smiled at her words and he knew that she was right. Kelly knew him better than any person he'd ever met, even more than Sam had. Kelly had always had the ability to read him well and he could read her just as well. After decades he and Kelly had a bond that he couldn't say he had with anyone else or thought he'd ever even get close to having with anyone else. Sam was the only person who ever got close to having as deep of a bond but he was gone. A scientist could look and stare at readings of his thoughts but they couldn't really be read. Kelly having known him for years gave her a better insight than someone that could literally read his thoughts. He'd never really thought about how they sometimes could skip entire conversations or at times it felt like they spoke out of old habit rather than because they needed to. He smiled a bit more as he realized that they had something that very few people had. He'd seen marines that were friends but they never had the sort of thing that he and Kelly had. They were really lucky to have each other, and perhaps the most lucky thing was that he'd been put on a team with Kelly and Sam that first day of training. He didn't know what he'd be without his friendship with Sam or the supporting unique bond he had with Kelly.

"Thank you," Kelly said, pulling John from his thoughts. She smiled at him and he smiled back, knowing that somehow she'd understood exactly what she was thinking. He turned back to his exercise and sat in the content silence with Kelly.


	51. Don't Let Her Go

John watched the crew as they were checking the weapon crates, making sure that their supplies were secure and accounted for. Soon they would be heading out through the portal to whatever awaited them on the other side. He didn't know exactly what to expect, but with all the Covenant and human weapons they had they could probably take on an army of Hunters without an issue. Still, the waiting had him nervous, edgy; like they'd end up finding three armies of Hunters on the other side.

"We're almost ready to move out." Johnson said, pulling John's attention to the Sergeant that had come to stand beside him. "Got a lot of weapons from our hinge-headed friends, and we've picked up as much guns and ammo as we can carry from our own side. You ready?" John nodded, not really sure what to say to the marine. Johnson looked toward the soldiers working on the crates and then back to John. "Any news about them? The other Spartans?"

"Blue Team was sent to answer a distress call," John replied, seeing no harm in answering the question. "They left while we were on the Delta Halo." John didn't know much more than that. He didn't know where exactly they had gone, only that they'd stolen a Covenant ship to get there.

"And what about your lady friend?" Johnson asked, fiddling with his cigar. "The one that the Doctor took with her."

"Doctor Halsey is the one that sent the message," John informed the Sergeant. "Wherever they're going, she's most likely there." At least that was what John had to believe. He couldn't indulge the fear that he was wrong, that she was still lost somewhere. He tried to push those thoughts aside, knowing that now they would only be a distraction - particularly since there was nothing he could do anyway.

"Well, when this is all over, sign me up for the rescue squad to get them back. And if your girl isn't there, then sign me up for getting her back too." Johnson tucked the cigar into the corner of his mouth. John wasn't sure what to make of the offer. The Sergeant had been a good teammate, and John had come to respect the man greatly, but he found it odd that Johnson would be so willing to risk his life on a mission to help the Spartans. "That is if she's alive," the marine then added.

John was surprised by the spike of worry and anger that rose up within him seemingly out of nowhere, like a camouflaged Elite in a dark hallway. He managed to suppress it quickly, but he still noted the reaction. "She's alive," he asserted, though more for his own reassurance than Johnson's.

"You sure about that?" Johnson questioned. John didn't answer, just stared at the man. Johnson plucked the cigar from his mouth and laughed. "Just messing with you, Chief. I'm sure she's out there." Johnson looked away, and watched a crate being dollied toward a Pelican. "And I know you'll find her." His smile fell a bit and he looked down at his cigar. "And when you do, don't let her go. Take it from an old man. When you find a woman like that, hold onto her and don't you ever let her go. You got lucky, because a man only ever meets one woman like that in his lifetime. So when you find her again and get a hold of her, you have to hang on like your life depends on it. Like you would when a Brute's trying to buck you off it's back before your knife can cut its throat all the way through."

John hadn't expected Johnson to give him such direct advice, and he didn't really know if he needed it. "Kelly is my best friend," John said, not sure if that was the right reply. He didn't really know exactly what to say to Johnson; but John was well aware of how important Kelly was to him, he didn't really feel that he needed to be told to hold on to her.

John was pulled from his thoughts as Johnson let out a single hearty laugh. "Chief," the marine chuckled a couple times. "A man doesn't throw himself down in the path of a burning plasma death for a woman that's just his friend," the Sergeant said. John didn't respond, he didn't know how to. He understood what Johnson meant, but he had no idea what would be an appropriate reply to such an insinuation. Johnson, likely realizing that he wasn't going to get more out of the Spartan, perched his cigar back in his mouth. "Well, I'll see you on the Amber." He nodded and moved away, leaving John alone with his thoughts once more, which were now centered around a single person.


	52. Escalation

"If you hadn't, I would have ordered you to come along myself," Fred said with a slight smile on his face.

John couldn't help but smile just a little himself. After having been alone so long, spending so much time not knowing how much of his family was still alive, here stood the three Spartans he'd missed the most. The three people whose presence he'd wished for more than anything in the closing days of the war, and his conflict with the Didact. He would have swiped his fingers across his faceplate, but they were in a crowded hangar and a part of him wanted to keep the gesture strictly between himself and his team. It was, after all, one of the few things that was purely Spartan-II.

"I'm going to check over the engines. This bird was recently rebuilt, and I really don't want to get stranded on a Halo because of shoddy repair work," Linda said. She then turned toward Kelly, "Besides, I don't want to have to jump out of a pelican with failing engines either. From what you told me it doesn't sound fun."

"I'm never going to live that down, am I?" Fred asked with a small shake of his head. "You weren't even there."

"Lucky me," Linda quipped before she turned and moved around the dropship to check on the repairs.

Fred let out a long breath before he looked to John and got back to business. "I'm going to make you lead on this mission, John. You have an idea of what we're up against. All of us read the reports, but you're the only one with actual experience."

John was a bit conflicted at the notion of being put in charge. On one hand that was where he was comfortable, leading the other Spartans; but at the same time Fred was a higher rank than he was now, so it wasn't proper chain of command. "Yes, sir," John said, knowing that orders were orders - even if they made him feel like he wasn't following orders.

"Don't think I'll get used to that one," Fred said with a slight smile. "I'm going to go check our orders again. I don't want another mess like LIMBO."

"That was a bit of a fiasco," Kelly admitted. "Though I think those llamas were as surprised as we were. This time I would prefer having up-to-date intel."

Fred nodded and moved away, but John noticed him glance back at them for just a moment. Kelly watched Fred leave, and she must have seen something John didn't because her gaze then shifted to the floor and she frowned slightly. When her eyes did move up again they were squarely on John. She smiled and John couldn't stop himself from smiling back. If she'd had her helmet on he would have swiped his fingers on her face plate, not caring who saw. He wanted her to know he was smiling back, but he didn't dare take off his helmet. It had been too long since he'd had a good sleep and he was still relatively tired. He didn't want her to see that, not now, not after she'd waited so long.

"How about I show you what kind of gear we've already collected and you can tell us what we might be missing." Kelly turned to walk into the Pelican and John followed. Kelly led him to the front of the ship, before the doors that would seal off the pilot's area, where they had a rack of assault rifles. "We have MA5Bs for everyone and a couple of shotguns, though Linda decided against bringing her sniper rifle. The reports indicated that DMRs should be adequate for anything we find. Anything else you think we should bring?"

"Did you really think I wasn't coming back?" John asked. He hadn't planned the question, but it was nagging him and he wanted an answer.

"When did I say that?" Kelly asked, furrowing her brow as she tried to remember.

"Just a few minutes ago," John informed her.

"I said I didn't think we'd see you again, not that you wouldn't come home," Kelly corrected. "Now, do we need any other weapons?"

"The weapons are sufficient for Prometheans," John assured her. "So why then did you think I'd return, but not see you?"

Kelly frowned at him now, setting a hand on her hip. "I guess I figured we'd be dead. The UNSC exhausted every trail or hint toward where to find you, and there was nothing. That just left exploring every galaxy, system by system, until they found you - and that takes a long time."

"I still don't understand," John said, frowning behind his helmet. "How could I truly come home if there was no Blue Team to come home to?" Kelly's frown vanished and for a moment she just stared at him before her features softened and a smile spread across her face. It wasn't the same smile John was accustomed to, but rather a mix of sad and happy. The kind he'd seen on family members of soldiers as they returned home safe. Kelly reached out and drew two of her fingers across his face plate. "You don't need to do that," John informed her. "I can see your smile."

"Yeah, but that comment deserved two smiles," she explained. "I really missed you, John."

"I missed you too," John said, letting her smile infect him until he was smiling as well. He reached out and gently took her helmet from her hands and she let him. John ran two of his fingers across the reflective surface of the visor to make a smile before he handed it back to her.

"Oh, is the big bad Master Chief afraid of showing his face to a harmless woman?" Kelly teased.

John looked around the Pelican and then looked back to her. "I don't see any harmless women." There was something comforting in how easily he slipped into his old habit of exchanging teases and taunts with her.

"Someone's been practicing their flattery." Kelly smiled wide. "But seriously, John, it's been five years."

"And months without showering," John reminded her. "My suit's filters can handle it, but I don't think that you can. After five years I think you can wait long enough for me to take a shower first." Hopefully that would at least by him some time to get some sleep.

Kelly sighed and took a step toward him. "Let's make a deal. You step into the cockpit, and you get to keep your helmet on." John didn't quite know what she wanted, but if it got her off of the subject of removing his helmet he'd agree. John moved into the cockpit and Kelly followed him. He was caught off guard as her arms wrapped around his neck and he found himself in a tight hug. John wrapped his arms around her waist and they stood in the privacy of the Pelican for a few seconds, just enjoying the chance to have a moment alone.

Or at least they'd thought they were alone, because suddenly there was a knock on the front glass of the cockpit. John turned to look over his shoulder and saw Linda on the other side, smiling cheekily at them. "It had to be her," Kelly muttered. Linda slid out of view and John slowly released Kelly. "She's going to be insufferable."

"What else is new?" John said. He looked to the back of the Pelican as Linda appeared in the rear hatch of the vehicle.

"You two have no shame," Linda said mockingly. "Just wait until I tell Fred about this."

Kelly sighed again and John smiled; happy that for the moment things were as he had never hoped they would be again - him and his team, his family, having a moment of rest between missions.


	53. Escalation 10

"I know a weapon he can't adapt to," John said, raising the index. The idea was risky, maybe even stupid, but it was his best shot at this point. The other Spartans were all quiet, knowing full well what he was suggesting. His mind was already trying to think of a way that he could still get his team out of it alive but he was drawing a blank. But it was the only plan he had.

"That would not be a wise course of action," the monitor spoke up, drawing John's attention. "All sentient life within five radii of this instillation would be destroyed. There would be many casualties."

"We find another way to stop the Didact," Fred asserted, reminding John that this wasn't really his choice to make. "We can't allow collateral damage, humanity needs every human it can keep. There has to be another solution."

"What does it take to kill an enemy like him?" Kelly asked. "He shrugged off a knife in the eye and everything we could throw at him. What other choice do we have?"

John should have expected Kelly to back him but her willingness to die because of his orders gave him a moment's pause. He wasn't sure why but Kelly agreeing to die because of his plan suddenly made him rethink his logic and do something he knew would unsettle the female Spartan. "No, Fred is right, we can't risk that much loss." John wasn't sure if he meant the innocent casualties or the death of his team but it didn't' really matter in the end. "We have to find some other way to defeat the Didact." John turned to the Monitor, hoping that maybe it had something. "You seem to know the most about how to harm the Didact. What do you suggest?"

'It will take a great amount of force to kill a warrior of the Didact's level," The monitor began. "I could separate away a part of the Halo and the impact against the Composer Forge. Such force would be the most likely way to be able to kill him. The only problem is that the safety protocols need to be deactivated which can only be done if the index is inserted into the control room."

"I can do it the fastest," Kelly offered, turning to Fred. "I'd be able to get there and deactivate the safeties and give the Didact the smallest chance to stop me or stop the Halo ejecting us."

John immediately bristled at the idea of Kelly going or even being on the Halo when the section ejected. "No," he said, though maybe a bit too forcefully. The other Spartans all turned to him and John decided to push forward. "I'll take the index to the control room and deactivate the safeties." John could feel the others tense so he knew he'd have to make his case. "I stopped the Didact at Earth and now he seems to have something against me but it's causing him to hesitate in acting against me. If you were to go in there, Kelly, he'd attack you right away. I can make him hesitate, give the Monitor more time, and you all time to get away from the Halo."

"If the Longsword is off the Halo then how exactly are you going to get off?" Kelly asked. John didn't have an answer as an exit strategy wasn't really something he'd thought of. "Once you put the index and you leave to get off the Didact won't hesitate to activate the Halo."

John considered his options and came up with a solution that he hoped could work. "Does the teleportation network on the Halo still work and can you access it?" he asked the Monitor. "Would you be able to transport me from the Control room to the Longsword?"

"It would take a bit of calculation but I could do it," the monitor assured him.

"As soon as the section is detached the Monitor will teleport me to the safety of the ship. For now head to the Longsword and get away from the Halo." Fred nodded, acknowledging the orders.

"I will contact you with the minimal distance you will need to be away from the segment for me to be able to teleport us to it." The Monitor seemed to have no doubt that the teleportation would work so John decided to trust it. Fred nodded and turned to walk toward where their Longsword was parked. Linda moved to follow him but Kelly hesitated.

She said nothing but after thirty years he knew exactly what was going on in her head. He knew she was worried, and he didn't blame her. He was sure she was remembering Sam and having to leave him to die on a Covenant ship so long ago. After four years they'd finally been reunited and here he was running into his possible death without her. It was a lot for him to be asking her to leave him but he wouldn't risk her life. "Go," he ordered, knowing that if he didn't urge her that she would never leave.

"Promise me," she said quietly.

"I promise I'll survive," John said, confident that he'd be able to keep the promise. "I promise that I'll come back to you." John moved past her, close enough to bump his hand against hers in an attempt to assert his promise. Kelly moved off without another word.

"Don't teleport me directly to the control room," John informed the Monitor. "If the Didact knows you're helping me then he might catch wind of the plan and everything will be ruined."

"As you say, Reclaimer," the Monitor responded. It didn't bother to give John a warning before he was enveloped in golden light and a slight feeling of vertigo came over him. It passed quickly and he was left standing on all too familiar gray Forerunner metal. "Just down the hallway is the Control room. I will stay back and prepare the detachment so when the safeties are removed the Didact will have limited time."

"Good, I'll try to give you time and enough time to do the teleportation calculations." John moved down the hallway, trying to keep focused. He would have to keep the Didact distracted for at least a moment though he wasn't quite sure how. He supposed he'd just have to come up with something on the spot.

Without strategy to think of John's thoughts went to something that was bothering him at the back of his mind. When the Didact had been about to kill him he had not wanted to die, wasn't ready for it. Yet when he'd set off the nuclear warhead to destroy the Composer he hadn't hesitated. Furthermore he'd been willing to activate the Halo and kill himself but the moment Kelly was agreeing to die it had suddenly become unacceptable. He didn't understand why he'd felt so different about death in such a short span of time but a little thought as to what was the factors gave him only one changing variable. When he'd been on the Didact's ship and looked up at the Earth he'd been doing it for humanity, with no idea if Blue Team was still alive, and there had been no hesitation. When Blue Team was with him he feared death, being split away from them for good and leaving them behind. He'd only hesitated in firing the Halo when he'd really been faced with his remaining family being willing to die because of his plan. The only thing that had changed in all of those situations had been Blue Team. He wasn't sure what about them made his feelings toward death waver so much but his thoughts were cut short as he reached the doors to the Control room. He had to stay focused now and couldn't let those thoughts distract him.

John moved through the hanger, having finished his meeting with Admiral Hood. He had orders to rest, take some time off, and with each step John wondered if that was a good idea. His muscles were tired and it had been a while since he'd sat down and not had to think about the next stage of battle. He looked across the hanger to where Linda, Fred, and Kelly were waiting for him. It was comforting, like he was taking a step back to the days before Reach to see them all there, his team, alive and well.

"What'd Hood say?" Fred asked, expecting their next orders.

John looked up to the three Spartans and suddenly he understood why it was that he'd hesitated at dying or killing them. These were his team, his family, and the most important thing he had left in the universe. They were what made him want to live, what he wasn't willing to destroy or leave behind. It had been too long since he'd had them to rely on to have his back. He smiled a bit behind his visor as he realized something the Admiral didn't. "Gave the all clear," John reported. "We're going back to work."

John could see the other Spartans smile slightly at the orders. What the Admiral didn't understand was that being with Blue Team was rest for him. They were like coming home after being away for too long. The months he'd spent fighting since Reach had been hard days because they hadn't been with him but know they were back and he no longer was holding the weight of the world on just his shoulders. With Blue Team he could relax.


	54. Valentine Tradition

John lay flat on the ground, trying to keep as quiet as he could so the marines wouldn't notice him. He was hidden under a parked warthog, watching a group of soldiers that were sitting around outside their barracks and drinking some sort of alcoholic beverage. A small amount of motion drew his attention to the trainee laying beside him under the vehicle. Kelly's fingers drummed idly on the dirt. She was clearly impatient to get moving, as going slow or being still were always a bother to her. John felt slightly guilty that they had to wait because of him. Their way out of the camp was across a large stretch of open ground; and while Kelly could make the run without anyone seeing, John was too slow and would certainly get caught, thereby compromising their mission. They would just have to stay here until the soldiers cleared out and it would be safe to move, which hopefully wouldn't be too long.

Kelly's hand then moved to settle over John's, gripping it loosely, though her eyes stayed on the soldiers - like hawk watching for the minuscule movement of a field mouse. John turned his gaze back to the soldiers as well, trying to focus on them rather than on the hand that was holding his and the way it made his heart beat a little faster. It was a hard ten minutes before the soldiers finished their drinks and finally moved back into the building. John didn't say a word, just crawled out of their hiding spot and took off across the open space toward the fence. He stopped beside the gap they'd used to enter the camp and looked back to see that Kelly had followed, but he didn't see her. He turned back to the fence and saw that Kelly was already standing on the other side and smiling cheekily at him. John then slipped through the gap and they both disappeared into the forest.

They weaved through the trees, heading towards the fallback point; at which the second part of their plan would begin. They reached the tree that they'd chosen as a marker and the two trainees both fell flat to the ground once more, searching the area for signs of danger. An odd low noise the sounded through the air, and Kelly sighed beside John. "I still don't think that's what a sloth sounds like," she said as she stood up.

John stood up as well as Sam walked out into the open. "I'd like to see you do better," the other boy quipped.

"How about instead you choose a better animal," Kelly countered. "Preferably one that makes a noise you actually know."

"It doesn't matter," John cut in, stopping the conversation. "Sam's signal worked, and that's what's important. Though we'll have to come up with a better one that everyone can recognize in the future." Sam just shrugged in response and lead them to the cave under a tree that was being used as their rendezvous point.

"What took you two so long?" Linda asked as they moved into the cave.

"We were keeping the tradition," Kelly informed her, pulling out two rectangular objects. "There should be enough for everyone."

"You nearly got caught just to get some chocolate bars?" Joshua asked, glancing between them in disbelief.

"No. But we did cut through their food storage station to avoid a couple soldiers that were sneaking out of their bunks," Kelly informed him. "It just so happens that we stumbled upon what must have been their contraband stash, so we nicked what they had."

"Glad to know that at least your delay wasn't a complete waste of time," Sheila commented.

"And it seems your luck kicked in," Sam said, turning to John. "Not only did you not get caught, but we thought we were going to miss the tradition this year."

"Let's just hope it extends to nothing going wrong," John said, not really one to believe in his supposed luck. He moved deeper into the cave and chose a spot to sit down, Kurt and Fred joining him. They gave him their reports on how their part of the plan had gone. They'd both had no issues completing their own missions, so for now they would just have to wait for their plan to take effect. It would take a couple more days for it to disrupt the camp's workings and give the trainees the opening they needed. After a while Kelly approached them, handing each of them a chunk of the chocolate from the large bar she held in her hand.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Kurt," Kelly said as she held a piece out to him.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Kelly," Kurt responded.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Fred." Kelly handed a bit of chocolate to Fred and he took it with a smile. She then looked to John and held some chocolate out to him. "Happy Valentine's Day, John."

John reached out and took the offered sweet, his fingers brushing hers as he grabbed it, and he felt his heart beat faster just like it had when she'd held his hand earlier. "Happy Valentine's Day, Kelly," he said with a slight smile. Kelly turned and walked away, moving to hand out chocolate to the rest of their teammates.

"Stolen chocolate is the best chocolate," Kurt commented, biting off a part of his chocolate piece.

"Do we eat any chocolate that isn't stolen?" Fred asked.

John pulled off his helmet and started to examine a possible breach in the seal of his undersuit. If he didn't deal with it now it might pose a serious threat later. The Spartans were currently taking a short break at a makeshift camp to recover and prepare for whatever their next assignment would be. John was using it as a moment to do repairs and to asses his team's condition. There were a few injuries, a couple of damaged pieces of equipment, and they'd used up most of their ammo. These things would need to be addressed before they could head out again.

John looked to Kelly as she moved across the camp, wondering if she'd gotten the injury she'd received earlier proper medial attention. He knew she was one to ignore or brush off such things. He watched as she moved over to Fred, smiled, and held something out to him. Fred returned the smile, said something to her, and took whatever it was that she had offered. Kelly then turned and headed straight for John. "Lucky you, there's one piece left," she said brightly. John looked down at her hand and saw that Kelly was holding out a segment of chocolate to him.

John took the candy and Kelly moved to sit beside him. "I thought we wouldn't be able to keep the tradition this year," he confessed.

"Luckily I found it in one of the small shops in that last town we cleared," Kelly explained. John looked at her for a moment, wondering if he should ask her about her injury or if she'd think he was badgering her. "Don't worry. I got it patched up, so I'm good to go," Kelly answered his unspoken question.

"Did you already eat your chocolate?" John asked, noticing that she had only a wrapper left in her hand now.

"Well, there was sort of a tear in the packaging and I might have bled a little on it...so I considered the piece I had to throw away as mine," Kelly admitted.

"The tradition is everyone gets to eat a piece." John broke his bit of chocolate in half and held out part of it to Kelly. "Happy Valentine's Day, Bunny."

Kelly smiled at him and took the treat. "Happy Valentine's Day, Johnny."

John moved into Blue Team's quarters, looking forward to having a quick breather between missions to get some sleep. There were four beds in a row, all perfectly made as though set up for a training manual. Fred was sitting on his cot and reading what John guessed was a status report, and Linda appeared to be napping. John moved over to his own bed and sat down, glad to be off his feet.

Kelly moved into the room and John turned toward her as she approached him and held out several items out to him. John looked at the candy bars and then up at Kelly, his brow furrowed in mild confusion. As usual though, she had an explanation for him before he could even ask. "Sorry about the backlog, but you shouldn't have taken so long to wake up."

John took the sweets and then suddenly realized what they were for. He stared at the chocolate and then looked back to Kelly. "You kept these for four years?"

"Yeah," Kelly answered, moving to sit beside him on his bed. "I stored them in a vacuum-sealed freezer to keep them from going bad, so they should all still be as good as they were on the day we stole them."

John glanced over at Fred and Linda and then back down to the chocolate in his hands. He smiled and peeled open the wrapping on one of the bars. "You know, this is a lot of chocolate. I wouldn't want to be caught with this much contraband."

"Well I suppose we could help you dispose of it, if you wanted," Kelly offered, smiling slightly and John returned it. He broke off a chunk of the bar and handed it to her.

"Fred?" John asked, offering some to the other man.

"How could I turn down helping a teammate?" Fred smiled and stood up, moving to sit on Kelly's bed which was beside John's. John gave him a piece as well. "Hey Linda, you going to join in helping our good friend here with his problem?"

Linda lifted her head and looked to the other Spartans. "Well I suppose that we leave no man behind - even if that means having to eat sweets." Linda got up from her cot and sat down beside Fred.

John broke off a piece and handed it to Linda before he broke a piece for himself as well. "Happy Valentine's Day, John," Kelly said as she nibbled on her chocolate.

John looked around at his family, the people he loved, and smiled. "Happy Valentine's Day."


	55. Halo 5 Epilogue

Fireteam Osiris and Blue Team moved through the Sangheili camp, trailing behind Commander Palmer. The camp was lit by primitive lanterns and small fires, as the electricity was still out due to the Guardian's awakening and the subsequent AI attacks. Still the overall mood of those in the camp seemed positive. With the fall of the Covenant's last stronghold on Sanghelios, even the impending danger couldn't dampen the hope that came from that victory.

"Our communications are down for now, but as soon as we can reestablish contact with the UNSC we'll get a ride off of this planet." Palmer had briefed them all on the current blackouts and efforts to get Sanghelios' power stations back up and running. "And once we get back to the Infinity we can decide how to handle an army of crazy AIs." From her tone and choice of words Palmer was far from thrilled with the recent development.

"How long will it take to get communications back online?" Locke asked.

"Not sure. And until we do there's no way to tell if these blackouts are still in effect anywhere else," Palmer answered, obviously frustrated. "Though even if we can repair the damage we might only be able to send burst transmissions. The Doctor will have to get to work right away, but it should give the two of you a chance to catch your breath."

"I'm not one of your soldiers to order around," Halsey sneered, clearly displeased with the Commander's attitude and struggling to keep up with the Spartans.

"Yeah, but it's still your abomination that's trying to conquer the galaxy," Palmer countered. "Find a spot out of the way and take a break Spartans. We've got a long fight ahead of us - and no idea yet how to fight it."

"You might wanna take this time to get your face fixed up then," Buck commented, a smirk on his lips. "Leave that injury unattended and it'll scar, and don't think your boyfriend will like that very much."

"My husband has never had an issue with any scar on me," Palmer shot back, emphasizing the word 'husband'. "But you might want to get something done about yours. Mess up that mug of yours any more and not even a pug would take you."

"You two got married?" Buck asked, the surprise evident on his face. "And I didn't get an invitation? I'm hurt."

"It was a very exclusive guest list," Palmer told him. "I'll send you a copy of the wedding photo."

"Only one?" Buck quipped. His voice dropped in volume however as he continued. "You really should get that taken care of, Palmer. He'll have enough to worry about without seeing all of that."

"I'll be sure it's audio only, Edward," Palmer responded, turning to Halsey. "Come on, Doc, you've got work to do." She turned and started to walk away from the group, Halsey reluctantly following behind her.

"Take a break, Osiris," Locke ordered, looking between his teammates. "But don't go too far, once those coms are up there will be plenty for us to do as well." He nodded to his Spartans and then walked away, following Palmer and Halsey.

"I'm going to go and enjoy the experience of participating in a Sangheili post-battle celebration firsthand," Vale said, moving toward a part of the camp that was well-lit and where multiple Sangheili had gathered, commemorating their victory.

"Sounds like an interesting time," Tanaka agreed, joining Vale. Buck just shrugged, but also turned and followed after the two women.

John watched for a moment as the Spartan-IVs walked away and then turned to his comrades, not sure what to say. He had dragged Blue Team to a Forerunner planet to try and convince Cortana to come home with them, but had failed. They'd nearly been killed by the Warden a number of times with nothing to show for it. He'd asked for their trust, and he let them down. He certainly didn't have the right to direct them now.

"What do you want us to do?" John finally asked, looking to Fred.

"Whatever your orders are," Fred answered.

"After everything that has happened, you have no reason to follow my orders." John looked between the members of his team and let his shoulders slump slightly. "I failed you as a leader."

The other Spartans looked at him in silence for a few seconds before Kelly let out a slight laugh. "What are you talking about? You didn't fail at anything," Kelly asserted. "Though I think it's clear now that we aren't really good at peaceful solutions."

"We gave Cortana a chance, more than she deserved, and she turned it down," Fred reasoned. "It's not your fault, Chief, that she wouldn't listen to reason and refused to turn back."

"We tried. Now all that's left is to do what's necessary to protect humanity," Linda added.

John wasn't sure how right they were to continue letting him lead them, but he knew his team well enough to accept that they had their views and he wasn't going to change that. Their loyalty meant a lot to him when he doubted his choices. "Before all of this, I asked if you would follow me. You did. And while I'm still not sure if I lived up to the trust all of you had in me on Genesis, I feel like in the coming days I have to ask again...Will you follow me? Will you trust me?"

"John, we already told you - we're with you to the end. We started this together, and that's how we'll finish it," Kelly answered for the group. "This is just the beginning of this fight."

"The Sangheili sure don't seem to be treating it that way," Linda commented, glancing toward the spot in the camp where the aliens' revelries were taking place. "From how they're acting you'd think it just ended."

"For them one finally has," Fred pointed out. "The war ended for the most part for humanity years ago, but now this is the end of their war against the Covenant."

"I don't like it," Linda stated.

"You don't have to like it, but let them have their moment. They're about to be fighting for their species again very soon." Kelly let out a long breath and shook her head. "Sangheili certainly aren't going to accept an AI's dictatorship."

"No, they won't. And neither will any of the other races. Maybe some of the Unggoy will bow down out of fear - but those that stand with the Arbiter, along with the free Kig-Yar, and even the Jiralhanae will fight back. At least humanity won't be alone this time." Fred stared down at the encampment and was silent for a moment. "I'm going to go find someone."

"That's a good idea," Linda said. "She can help be sure that the Arbiter works with humanity against the new threat."

"Yeah. I'm sure it will go over real well if I walk up and tell her to stop celebrating the end of the war she's been fighting for the last five years, because we need to start fighting another one." Fred shook his head, and without another word he started to walk toward the spot where the Sangheili had congregated.

Linda made a move as though she was going to stop him, but Kelly looked over at her and shook her head. She made sure Fred was out of sight before she spoke to the sniper. "When the time comes she'll do what's best to keep the peace between our species. She's not going to have an easy job, so let her enjoy this well-earned victory. And let Fred spend some time with her while he can."

Linda shrugged, letting the subject go. "Then I'm going to go and check the perimeter. If someone - Covenant or otherwise - wanted to make a counter-strike, now would be the time." She turned and walked away, heading to the border of the Sangheili camp.

Kelly then turned to John, and he noticed her look him over. "Maybe we should find a place to sit down. It's been a long mission."

John nodded, and as he moved toward a more quiet part of the camp he could feel Kelly following him closely. "Do you really think it will be hard to get the Sangheili to fight with us against Cortana?" he asked her.

"I think the hard part is going to be getting them to fight with humanity," Kelly clarified. "It's a human AI that's recruiting other human AIs and using Forerunner tech to oppress all sentient life, including the Sangheili. I don't envy her having to spin this so there isn't any anti-human backlash."

"She'll figure out a way," John said, confident in his statement. "She knows the Sangheili better than any of us ever will, and she's a creative thinker."

"You mean she'll figure it out so she doesn't have to decide between Fred and her 'kitchenette'. But for this moment, forget there's another war ahead of us. That can wait until we've gotten a little rest. Fatigue can be just as dangerous in combat as your enemy." Kelly was now walking beside John, able to keep pace with him easily.

They reached a fairly secluded spot where they could maybe get in a nap, or at least take a break. John shifted some of the Sangheili's supply crates to make enough room for the both of them. He sat down and Kelly settled into the makeshift seat beside him, close enough so their shoulders were almost touching. "I'm sorry," John said, letting out what he'd been holding back until he could be sure they were alone.

"For the last time, John, you aren't responsible for Cortana's actions. Everything that has happened is her fault, and hers alone. There's nothing for you to be sorry for." Kelly's voice gave away that she wanted him to just drop the subject, or she was liable to get annoyed.

"Not for Cortana's plan or for failing to reason with her," John clarified, causing Kelly to cock her head in curiosity. "I'm apologizing because I almost got you and the others locked in a Cryptum for thousands of years."

"That was also strictly Cortana's doing, not yours. Stop acting like what she did was somehow your fault." John could feel Kelly rolling her eyes as she spoke. "Besides, if she hadn't put us in there she wouldn't have had to worry about Osiris - because I would have torn that thing open with my bare hands to get you out."

John smiled slightly at her enthusiasm, but he felt a mixture of other emotions at the thought of him possibly being trapped in stasis for a millennia without Blue Team...without Kelly. There was fear at the idea of never seeing his Spartans again, and unease about what would have become of them or what Cortana would have done to them if he'd been separated from Blue Team. He unconsciously clenched his fists, but was surprised to find there was something already in his right hand which squeezed back. John looked down and saw that Kelly's hand was gripped in his and that their fingers were intertwined. He wasn't sure which of them had done it, but either way he felt a sense of comfort from the contact.

"Cortana had to make sure to put all of you in the Cryptum," John said, turning his gaze back to her. "Because she knew that I would be furious if she took you from me. And that nothing she could ever do would stop me from taking her out for doing so." Kelly laughed and John frowned. "I'm serious," he insisted.

Kelly shook her head, dismissing his words, and John decided not to press the issue. He wondered if she really didn't believe him; no matter what Kelly thought though, what he had said was the truth. If Cortana was willing to take him from his family, or take them from him, she wasn't his friend anymore - only his enemy. Kelly's other hand suddenly came into John's view, but as her fingers touched his faceplate she didn't make the familiar smile gesture. Instead she ran her finger along the crack in his visor.

"How do you keep breaking your faceplates?" Kelly asked with an amused tone. "My helmet is practically all-visor, and I usually have to be hit by a Hunter or a Wraith boosting at top speed to chip it."

"Even at top speed a Hunter or Wraith couldn't hit you," John pointed out.

"Which is why I don't break faceplates. You've broken enough that after this one they'll probably start making you pay for them yourself." Kelly's fingers remained on his visor for a moment before she finally let her hand drop.

"Then I demand a raise," John joked, enjoying the relaxed mood. Even with the threat that was currently hanging overhead, with Kelly he felt like could take a moment and be at peace. John moved his free hand, the pads of his fingers touching the front of his helmet and then repeating the action on Kelly's helmet. "Stay close to me."

"I'll always be at your back, John," Kelly assured him.

However they both knew that wasn't what John was worried about. Although neither of them would admit it, he wanted her close so that he could protect her. His presence was the only thing that had spared Blue Team from Cortana outright allowing the Warden to slaughter them on Genesis. But he wasn't certain that Cortana wouldn't be willing to openly make attempts on his family's lives anymore, even if he was with them. The only thing John was sure of now was that the AI was obsessed with him, and it was because of that he hadn't been harmed. So the least he could do for Kelly was to be a shield for her. She wouldn't approve, but if it came to that John would do whatever it took to keep her safe.

Kelly leaned over and set her head on John's shoulder. John watched her for a short while before he let his own helmet rest against hers, finally settling in for some much needed sleep.


	56. Token

Kelly was crouched beside the medical pack, searching through it to see what supplies were left. They had used a small amount of their biofoam filling a bullet wound in Linda's thigh, as well as some of their bandages, but otherwise were still well stocked. Not bad considering they'd already been on the planet for a week. She carefully re-packed the supplies, checking each one a second time for any damage or contamination. She didn't turn as another Spartan moved up beside her. "What do you need, Chief? If you're looking for the band-aids with the little lightning bolts printed on them you're out of luck, we're fresh out."

"Actually I was hoping for a lollipop," John replied to the joke as he opened up a private COM channel with her. Kelly finally turned to look at him and tilted her head, silently asking him what he needed. "How are we doing on medical supplies?"

Kelly knew that he knew what supplies had been used thus far. So why would John be asking her for information he already had? It seemed redundant. "I was just checking to see if anything was damaged. That crawl we made through the mud could have ruined some of them, but the seal held." Blue Team was currently taking cover in a cave; waiting for the rain that had gone from drizzle to monsoon in minutes, to go back to a drizzle. The excessive water just was too big of a risk to their equipment - which could spell trouble for the Spartans if they stumbled upon a Covenant patrol. It made their motion trackers useless, and reduced regular visibility to only feet. So even with thermal-imaging enabled it just wasn't safe for them to continue. "So, what do you actually want?" Kelly questioned John directly.

John hesitated, which was odd for him to do in a relative moment of calm like this, and it set Kelly on edge. "A moment of your time," he finally answered. Kelly was confused by the request, as there wasn't really a reason why he'd need to ask for such a thing. But he was still Blue Leader and she was still under his command. So she would do whatever he required. Kelly glanced toward the other Spartans and noted that Fred was checking the seal of Linda's wound, and Joshua was posted at the entrance of the cave. Nothing seemed out of place or unusual, other than John's behavior. "Do you know what day it is?"

Kelly cocked her head to the side, not quite getting the point of the question. They all had digital clocks and calendars on their HUDs, so of course everyone knew the date. "It's September 21st, 2527."

John then reached into his munitions pouch and produced a small metal disk, holding it out to her. Kelly took the item and looked down at the face of a man in profile before she flipped it over to find an eagle holding arrows and some branches embossed on the other side. "Happy birthday," he whispered, even though they were still on a private channel.

Kelly smiled at him, reaching out to trace two fingers across his visor before returning her attention to the disk. "What is this?" she asked, shifting it in her hand.

"A gift I want you to have," John answered simply.

"I got that part. I mean what is this little metal disk? I've never seen one before," Kelly clarified.

"It's a coin, a type of money humans used when we still traded in physical currency," John expanded. "I've looked it up; this kind of coin was referred to as a 'quarter', a United States currency that was equal to one-quarter of a 'dollar'. I believe a dollar is akin to a credit."

"So why are you giving me this? If it's out-of-date currency, what use does it have?" Although it was certainly an interesting object, Kelly didn't have much need for money. The Spartans were supplied with everything they required by the UNSC, so they didn't need to make purchases - particularly with a currency that was long out of circulation.

"I've had it since before I became a Spartan," was John's response. That caught Kelly's attention, as she hadn't been aware that John possessed anything that was from before their training days. "I won it from Doctor Halsey in a guessing game the first time she met me, and apparently I fought pretty hard to try and keep it when our trainers initially took it away. Chief Mendez gave it back to me though, before we went to be fitted for our MJOLNIR. It's important."

"And you're giving it to me now?" Kelly appreciated his sentiment, but still felt a little uncomfortable accepting the token. This was John's treasure, and she wasn't sure if she should have it.

"Yes, because I believe that it is what brought us together," he replied. Kelly stared at the coin, not sure what to make of John's words. "Flipping that coin was the only interaction I had with Halsey, and something about it made her decide to recruit me into the Spartans."

"So you're telling me it's this coin's fault that you're stuck on a planet crawling with Covenant, and taking shelter in a cave from heavy rains?" Kelly asked sarcastically.

John shook his head, but from his posture she could tell he was amused. "It's my good fortune that I am here now - with you. And I give credit to the coin for the part it played." With that, Kelly finally understood why he was giving her this gift. It was something he saw as one of the stepping-stones that lined the path that had lead him to her. "Happy birthday, Bunny." John glanced over his shoulders at the others before he quickly tapped the pads of his four fingers against the front of his helmet where his mouth would be, and then repeated the action against Kelly's helmet. Their special gesture for a kiss. He then nodded to her and turned, walking away to check with Joshua. Kelly watched him for a moment before she looked to back down at the coin in her hand. She smiled to herself one last time as she slipped it into her ammunition pack to keep it safe, and returned her attention the medical kit.


End file.
